


biscuit crumble

by Emlee_J



Series: Biscuits Verse [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mention of Animal Death, Miscommunication, Romantic Comedy, Sequel to 'love biscuits', Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 45,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27660601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emlee_J/pseuds/Emlee_J
Summary: Hinata and Kageyama have been together for nearly a year and are, for the most part, blissfully happy.But recently Hinata has been coming home later, working harder, and simply driving himself into the ground. Worried about his increasing exhaustion, Kageyama agrees to take on a new job writing music for a television show - an agreement that requires him to spend a week in a remote country village similar to the show's location.Seizing the opportunity to force Hinata to have a break, Kageyama arranges for them to stay at the local farm, in a holiday that will force them to look at one of life's biggest challenges: the work-life balance.(A sequel tolove biscuits;where Hinata and Kageyama (and Carrot) go on holiday, encounter goats, and there's a pregnant labrador called Lemon)
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Series: Biscuits Verse [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1989358
Comments: 161
Kudos: 521





	1. The Offer

**Author's Note:**

> I just couldn't get love biscuits out of my head... so a full sequel was born! :D;; I've never written a full sequel to a multi-chap before, only extras or missing scenes, so this is exciting for me!!
> 
> hope you enjoy musician kageyama and vet hinata (and a whole bunch of animals named after food) in this new story!! we update every saturday (with a planned break on the 12th) :}

Carrot sits on the counter, her tail folded politely over her paws, and watches with huge golden eyes as the milk is removed from the fridge.

Kageyama sighs fondly and runs a hand over her head, smiling at the soft chirrup she lets out.

“You’re not allowed milk,” he chides – an exchange he has with her every morning – and moves to pour some into the two cups of coffee on the countertop. Carrot, as always, doesn’t listen and continues to track his movement hopefully until the milk is safely stored back in the fridge, at which point she almost sags in disappointment.

“It’s not _my_ decision,” Kageyama tells her as he stirs the coffee, tapping the spoon against the china rims and tossing it into the sink. It lands with a clatter and Carrot’s ears fold at the sound. He glances down at Carrot’s food bowl on the floor – empty. He probably should’ve fed her a bit later, then she would be distracted…

Carrot’s ears perk up again suddenly, catching Kageyama’s attention and putting a halt to his train of thought. He watches as she leaps down from the counter, emitting a happy little squeak, and trots off out of the kitchen, her tail held high in a loop over her back.

Kageyama watches her go, his small smile growing just a bit, and lifts the two mugs of coffee on the side in preparation.

“Morning…”

“Good morning,” Kageyama intones as Hinata shuffles into the kitchen, stifling a yawn with one hand and holding Carrot close to his chest with his other arm, her little body nestled comfortably in the crook of his arm.

“Mmmm… coffee?” Hinata asks as he nears, his voice still soft and mumbly from the vestiges of sleep.

“Coffee.” Kageyama nudges a mug into Hinata’s free hand and presses a kiss to his temple.

Hinata hums happily and leans forward just enough to encourage Carrot to jump from his hold to the counter again. “Thanks,” he sighs, drawing in a deep breath as he breathes in the smell before taking a sip.

Kageyama winds an arm around Hinata’s waist to give him a quick squeeze before lifting his own mug.

It’s still early; the beginnings of dawn sunshine only just starting to stream in through the windows, and Kageyama is in no hurry to be a part of the morning rush just yet. Before, when it was just himself and Carrot, he would rise early enough to have a shower, eat a decent breakfast and leave himself enough time to reach his studio before mid-morning, but no earlier.

But now Hinata is here and Kageyama had learned very quickly that Hinata is the epitome of an early riser. Regardless of when his shift starts, he is awake as the soon as the sun starts to rise, frequently squeezing in a morning run before joining Kageyama for breakfast. Kageyama had been a little disappointed at first – he quite likes a lay-in, and he likes a lay-in with a boyfriend in his bed even more – but then he discovered that Hinata tends to get sleepy much earlier than himself in the evenings. And Kageyama will happily trade early morning embraces in bed for a drowsy Hinata nodding off against his side as he plucks at his guitar strings just as night starts to settle.

In recent days, however, Hinata has been rising later and later, until Kageyama – now so used to waking up with the sun – is getting up first. Gone are the morning runs, unless it’s a weekend, and also missing is the bright, instant perkiness Hinata has as soon as he rolls out of bed.

Normally, once Hinata is awake he’s _awake_ – springing from sleeping to full alertness in a handful of minutes. But recently he just seems _tired_. From the moment he wakes up until he’s almost out of the door, there’s a hanging drowsiness over Hinata, in the form of drawn out yawns and tight, squinting eyes.

The cause isn’t a mystery – it’s the same thing that Kageyama had seen all those months ago during a routine weight check: overworking.

It’s nothing drastic, as far as Kageyama is aware. Ukai, after one too many issues with his now chronically bad back, had to lower his workload and Hinata had happily stepped up to take on extra. It seemed like a good thing at first – Hinata got to tackle a wider variety of cases, something he found exciting, and it had also come with a rather nice raise.

But the thing is with Hinata is that he has to tackle every problem he’s given with every fibre of his being and he simply… had too many problems.

Before, Hinata rarely brought work home with him. Aside from reading the occasional journal or watching a lecture online, Hinata brought nothing home except stories.

Now, it’s almost every day Kageyama finds him researching something in a text book or on the internet, mumbling to himself as he leafs through a scattered pile of papers. Inspiration seems to hit him as soon as he gets home, and he chases it until he physically can’t keep his eyes open. More than once, Kageyama has had to place food in front of him or nudge him to bed.

He’d asked Hinata once, if it is too much, if he has too many patients and if he should ask someone to help him with his caseload. Hinata had shaken his head while perusing a particularly battered surgery text book, and said that his patients are fine, he is simply looking into ways of getting better. Improve himself and solve the problem quicker and more efficiently next time.

It’s like Hinata has given himself a self-imposed challenge. He’s essentially been promoted, so he works harder. Multiple times, Kageyama has suggested that if his patients are okay, then it should be fine to let it be, that Hinata doesn’t have to work himself into the ground to ensure everything went perfectly next time - because perfection is simply unattainable.

But all Hinata does is hum vaguely, lulled into whatever temporary distraction Kageyama can offer him before he repeats it all again the next day.

At first, Kageyama had taken the wait and see approach. He’d been hopeful that all Hinata needed was some time to adjust and then he would settle. But things haven’t been getting better, and Hinata is getting exhausted, not adjusting at all. He gets home later, is dead on his feet as soon as he gets through the door, and any time he spends not eating or sleeping is spent squinting at some medical paper or a journal.

Kageyama watches as Hinata drinks from his coffee mug slowly, still a little wobbly on his feet and so, _so_ drowsy, and feels worry curdle once again in his gut. He doesn’t think Hinata is sad, or even that unhappy, but Kageyama knows the plague of overworking intimately. How the pursuit of perfection, an ideal that is alluring but simply does not exist, leads to stress and how stress quickly becomes overbearing, inescapable. A constant drain until, eventually, something has to give.

Kageyama clucks his tongue and taps his fingers against his own mug and scrambles, for the countless time this week alone, for a solution. Although it’s been a few months now since Hinata moved in, and even longer since they started dating, their relationship still feels so _new._ Kageyama’s never had something like this before – a steady, committed relationship - and he’s loathe to do anything to jeopardise it.

So he swallows most of his worries, settles for a level of nagging that Hinata puts up with in good humour, and quietly frets whether or not to push any harder.

Hinata yawns again, loud and jaw cracking, startling Kageyama out of his thoughts. Draining his mug and dumping it in the sink, he presses a kiss to the underside of Kageyama’s jaw in thanks, and shuffles back towards to the hallway, presumably in pursuit of a shower.

Kageyama sighs deeply and watches him go as Hinata pauses to bend down to dutifully lift Carrot – who’s dancing by his feet again – and bury his sleepy face into her fur.

He really needs to think of something soon, or somebody is going to break.

* * *

In the end, the solution arrives quite by chance and in an entirely unexpected way.

It’s the start of what should be an otherwise perfectly normal week in the beginning of summer. Kageyama has plans to work on a new song in his studio and Hinata’s shifts will be following their usual pattern. They parted ways this morning after breakfast as normal – Hinata as drowsy as always but starting to perk up – with a farewell kiss before Kageyama heads for his car and Hinata levers himself up onto his bike a few feet away. Back in the flat, Carrot snoozes on the sofa, waiting for them to come home again.

An utterly ordinary Monday morning.

So when it’s just rolling into early afternoon, and Kageyama is just wondering whether he should call Hinata to check whether he’s had lunch, he’s a little surprised when his phone starts ringing first of its own accord.

Confused, Kageyama sets aside the sandwich he had been slowly munching on and pulls his phone towards him across his work station. Most calls he gets during work hours are from his business associates and he isn’t expecting any. He hasn’t made any songs to sell that would necessitate one. There’s no reason for it to be ringing; not even Hinata calls him when he’s at work.

The number that flashes up from the screen is unknown and Kageyama taps his fingers against the wood of his station thoughtfully. It could be a cold caller, a waste of his time, but equally it could be someone that genuinely wants to speak to him. Phone numbers get passed around a lot in the music industry, even if Kageyama’s work is normally anonymous.

Just before the call can ring off, Kageyama sighs and plucks up his phone, sliding his thumb across the screen to accept it.

“Hello?”

“Kageyama Tobio?”

“Speaking.”

“My name is Yamamoto Akane, I’m a director at Nekoma Productions.”

It’s a young woman’s voice, one Kageyama does not recognise, though the name of the company tugs at something in his memory. A television studio he thinks, but he can’t be certain. He doesn’t watch many programmes, and neither does Hinata, so the tv in the flat is switched off more often than not.

“Ms Yamamoto. How can I help you?” Kageyama settles for asking, keeping his tone polite as he can. It can be difficult to ward off his brusque nature, especially when he feels like he’s being interrupted. He glances at the score he’s writing with a miniscule sigh; he was just getting started too.

“Akane. And I’m calling about a job offer,” Akane replies, her tone business-like.

“Oh?” Kageyama sits up a little straighter in his chair.

He does, occasionally, get commission requests for songs. Managers and big producers from music labels call, often after hearing a song he’s written in the past, enquiring about having something written specially for one of their artists. Sometimes Kageyama accepts the request, sometimes he doesn’t. It depends on what they ask for.

But this is the first time he’s had someone call from a television studio.

“I’m directing a new television drama,” Akane goes on to say. “We’re in the shooting stages right now and I’m looking for someone to write the score.”

“The score?” Kageyama repeats, brow knitting. Although most of his job involves writing music instead of lyrics (which are often changed by the time they sell), his entire catalogue is made up of songs rather than instrumental work.

“I’ve been looking around,” Akane says, “and I’ve been searching for someone who I think can write what I’m looking for. I was speaking to a few of my colleagues here at the studios and it turns out a few of the songs I was using as examples for what I wanted in the music had been written by you. Though it took a few phone calls before I found your real name.”

“That _is_ sort of the point.”

“Indeed. Anyway, I know you mainly deal with song writing, but the instrumental work in some of your songs _does_ match the feel of what I’m looking for for my show. So, I’m coming to you with an offer: write me some sample tracks. If I like them, and I’m sure I will, I’ll offer you the position. I can guarantee it’ll be better paid overall than what you get offered for your pop songs.”

Kageyama narrows his eyes. This offer seems rather unbalanced.

“I’m not writing for free,” he shoots back. “If you don’t like my samples that’s time I’ve lost writing music I know will sell.”

“I’m not asking you to write for free,” Akane replies instantly. “This is my proposition: I’ve got a location in mind that fits the setting of the show and I want you to go there. For one week. The studio will pay for everything – your board, food, the lot. I really want you to get a feel for the place, and how it’ll reflect in your music. I like my shows to be authentic. At the end of the week, send the samples. If I like them, I’ll hire you. And if I don’t I’ll still pay your usual rate for the amount of music produced. Sound fair?”

Kageyama picks up a stray pen and idly taps it against his work station as he thinks.

“I want to see a draft contract,” he says slowly, pursing his mouth as he works through the deal laid out before him in his head. It _does_ sound good in theory. If he’s going to be paid for the work he produces regardless he won’t be out of pocket at least. Plus… he _is_ bored of writing pop songs. They’re steady money, and he’s good at them, but they don’t really create a _spark_ within him.

He’s never tried writing a score like this before. But it sounds like a challenge, and Kageyama does enjoy a challenge.

“I can get one sent over by tomorrow morning,” Akane promises, and Kageyma nods his head along as he continues to think.

“And this… _setting_ that you have in mind. Where is it?”

Because as much as Kageyama enjoys his work, he’s not all that keen on travelling. The few times he’s had to leave for business meetings or, even more horrifying, music award ceremonies, he’s hated every moment. The travel, the hotels, the constant stream of strange people. And, most of all, having to leave Carrot behind.

“It’s a small country village, about two hours from where you’re based. I can send the directions along with the draft contract.”

Kageyama hums. “What’s it called?”

There’s a rustle of papers on the other end of the line, like Akane is leafing through something. “Inarizaki,” she says, after a moment.

“Inarizaki…” Kageyama mumbles under his breath, flipping the pen around in his hand so he can scribble the name down on a stray piece of paper. Somewhere in the back of his memory, the name sounds familiar. He’s never been there, but he has a distinct feeling he’s heard it somewhere in the past.

There’s a pause over the line, as presumably Akane waits for his response. Kageyama chews on his bottom lip and mulls it all over. It does sound very alluring – a new challenge, a break from his usual routine, and a potentially a job that will pay better to boot.

And the week away… the more Kageyama considers it, the more it doesn’t sound quite so terrible. A quaint country village didn’t sound like a terrible place to be for a week. In fact, it sounded very nice – a welcome, relaxing alternative to the usual busy and relentlessly _noisy_ cities he normally had to travel to for work.

Wait. Relaxing?

Kageyama leans back in his chair and stares up at the ceiling as he ponders his next move. He doesn’t want to take advantage of his potential new employer, but also he can see a perfect opportunity just starting to form right before his eyes. He taps his pen against his chin, working through how he should phrase his request, when a little bubble of memory pops in his brain.

Inarizaki.

“Can I call you back?” he asks, sitting up straight again abruptly. “I think I might know someone from this village of yours.”

“Oh!” Akane says, sounding a little surprised. “Yes, of course. But if you’re looking into what it’s like to stay there I can provide some reviews…”

“It’s in regards to some accommodation,” Kageyama says, tapping his fingers against his station again in his impatience.

Akane lets out a contemplative hum but doesn’t push for any more details. She agrees to wait fifteen minutes, and dutifully hangs up when Kageyama promises to return her call as soon as possible.

The moment the line is free again, Kageyama brings up his contact list, jabs his thumb against Miya’s coffee shop and presses his phone back against his ear again, listening to the dial tone impatiently.

“Good afternoon, Miya’s Coffee Shop. How may I-“

“Miya,” Kageyama cuts in before the welcoming spiel can be completed. “Where did you grow up?”

“Hello to ya too Kageyama,” Miya replies, amusement lacing his now lazy sounding voice, the professional tone dropping as soon as he realises who he’s talking to. “Why the sudden interest?”

“Got a call from a television producer wanting me to travel for some work,” Kageyama explains, keeping the details brief to hurry things along. “She wants me to go to a village called Inarizaki, isn’t that where-“

“ _Ahh._ Yeah, that’s not too far from where me and ‘Tsumu grew up,” Miya confirms, fondness soaking his tone. “But… you’re a music producer right? What are yer gonna do in a country village like Inarizaki?”

“I have to stay for a week to get a feel for the show she’s making.”

Miya makes a curious noise, but doesn’t say anything more, eventually falling quiet on the other end of the line.

“I was just… wondering,” Kageyama says, slightly stiltedly into the awkward silence, “if you knew anyone that lived there? I seem to remember you mentioning someone once. This director probably wants to stick me in a hotel, but I’d like to avoid it-“

“Sure do. Know the local farmer in fact,” Miya cuts in. “And he’s got a guesthouse.”

Kageyama brightens. “Guesthouse?”

“Yep. I can put him in touch with ya, if ya like.”

“That would be great.” Kageyama reaches for his pen, ready to take down details.

“Don’t suppose I can ask what the occasion is though?” Miya asks suddenly, instead of providing a phone number, or even a name. “The hotel’s not bad, ya know.”

Kageyama scratches his pen nib across the paper on his desk. “Hinata needs a holiday,” he sighs down the phone. “And this director is going to pay all the expenses, but I think she would probably find out if the hotel bill suddenly doubled because there’s two people.”

“So ya wanna sneak him along, huh?” Miya says, but there’s a certain delight to his voice that suggests he isn’t disapproving of Kageyama’s underhanded scheme. “Yeah, ya probably would get away with it easier if ya stayed on the farm. Bit more self-sufficient and all that. How is Hinata then? Stressed, I take it?”

“He’s… he needs a break,” Kageyama replies, unwilling to divulge too much about Hinata’s exhaustion. Even if Miya seems to be on his side; it’s not his place.

Miya hums sympathetically. “So ya wanna take him away to the country for a breather. I understand. I’ll give ya Kita’s number, so long as ya promise me to try everything his grandma offers ya to eat. Trust me, their produce is the best. I use some of it in the café, actually.”

“Fine,” Kageyama agrees, poising his pen at the ready to finally take down the details. He doesn’t have to be persuaded much to try good food. “Actually… Miya?” he asks suddenly, as another important thought pops into his mind.

“Yeah?”

“Do you know if this farm is pet friendly?”

* * *

“I’m home!”

Kageyama glances at the kitchen clock with a frown.

Hinata, for once, is home right on time. Normally, this would be an occasion to celebrate but Kageyama wants to make a point and it’s going to be a little harder now.

There’s a soft skittering of claws as Carrot scrambles in her rush to greet Hinata and Kageyama feels his frown ease slightly in amusement at the sight of the orange blur skidding past the kitchen doorway.

Hinata grunts somewhere within the depths of the corridor – presumably from lifting Carrot into his arms – and there’s more muffled noises and soft mutters before he’s shuffling into the kitchen, Carrot cradled against his chest.

“Welcome home,” Kageyama greets, abandoning his vegetable chopping to cross over to Hinata. “Good day?”

Hinata shifts Carrot in his arms slightly, her tight grip on his scrubs causing the material to crinkle beneath her paw pads, and he leans into the kiss he’s being offered.

“Mmmm, good,” he hums against Kageyama, sounding deeply satisfied.

Kageyama presses one more kiss to his forehead before leaning back, rubbing his fingers over the top of Carrot’s head, who chirrups happily. Squinting, he peers down into Hinata’s face – thankfully distracted by the dinner preparations – to ascertain how tired he is. And… yes, he can see it. The tightness around his eyes, the pale colour of his face. Hinata may have had a good day, but he’s still _tired._

This will work in his favour.

“You’re cooking?” Hinata comments, bending down to let Carrot drop to the floor, who immediately starts winding around his legs. “But it’s my turn.”

Kageyama resists the urge to snort at the whine in his voice. Hinata is probably genuinely disappointed; he greatly enjoys cooking. “I had time,” he says, attempting a nonchalant shrug. “You don’t like coming home to a hot meal?”

Hinata doesn’t take the bait, narrowing his eyes up at Kageyama suspiciously instead. “You want something.”

Kagayama moves to automatically protest against this accusation before he closes his mouth again and reconsiders. Sighing in defeat, he glances over at his kitchen prep and runs a hand through his hair before he looks back at Hinata, gnawing at the inside of his cheek.

“I want to go on holiday,” he blurts, the words tumbling out at Hinata’s insistent eyebrow raise before he can stop them.

“Huh?” Hinata’s other eyebrow climbs to join its neighbour as he gawps at Kageyama, uncomprehending.

“I got an offer – a job offer,” Kageyama starts to explain, before he’s cut off by Hinata’s excited squawking.

“A job offer? Is it good? Is it for someone famous?”

“No it’s not a- it’s not a song,” Kageyama hurries to clarify, frustrated with himself that he’s getting the order of this all wrong. “Let’s just… sit down for a minute.”

Hinata cocks his head, slightly confused, but he follows Kageyama willingly into the living room and tumbles onto the sofa beside him with shining eyes. “Tell me!” He urges, once Kageyama settles across from him.

There’s a soft chirrup as Carrot leaps up onto the sofa cushions between them, crawling into Hinata’s lap. He rests a hand across her back and strokes his thumb across her fur idly, looking at Kageyama expectantly.

“I got a call from Yamamoto Akane – she’s a director. For a tv show,” Kageyama starts. Now that he’s sitting down and actually explaining, this part of the story seems a lot more nerve-wracking all of a sudden. He was so intent on getting Hinata to agree to the week away so that he could relax, he’s completely forgotten about the whole _new job_ part of this scenario.

It’s not that he’s not excited – he is, very much so – but it’s suddenly a lot more _real_ , discussing this with his partner.

“They want you to write the music?” Hinata guesses when Kageyama lapses into temporary silence. “Like the theme song?”

“Probably not the theme song - they might get someone else for that - it’s mostly the score.” Kageyama fiddles with the fabric of his jeans idly, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch in sudden excitement. “She said she likes the composition in my songs, so they want me to write something similar for the score. It’ll be nice to do something without lyrics, honestly.”

“And?” Hinata prompts, shuffling across the sofa until he’s pressed up against Kageyama’s side. “Is it a _good_ offer? I know you’ve been tired of writing pop songs…”

Kageyama presses his lips together a little tighter as a wobbly smile starts to grow. “Very good,” he confirms. He’d seen the contract that Akane had sent over this morning, as promised, and it had been undoubtedly _very good_. He’d agreed within an hour of receiving it, once he’d double checked all of the particulars.

“And I said yes,” he adds when Hinata’s eyes start to go shiny.

Hinata visibly vibrates in his seat, a massive smile exploding on his face, before he’s suddenly launching forwards, wrapping his arms around Kageyama’s shoulders and pulling him in for a tight hug.

“Congratulations!” he all but yells into Kageyama’s ear. “I’m _so_ proud – a whole score! That’s… _way_ more than three minutes. That’s so _cool_ Tobio…”

Kageyama huffs, burying his face and happy smile into Hinata’s broad shoulder as he returns the hug, shifting on the sofa slightly so the angle isn’t so awkward. Carrot chirrups between them, still on Hinata’s lap, and Kageyama feels her shift between their torsos before she moves, leaping down to the floor.

With a happy sigh, Kageyama lets himself sink into the embrace, listening to Hinata’s excited babbling in his ear as he works up the courage to mention the other part of the story. Giving Hinata a squeeze, Kageyama eventually lets go of him and leans back.

“But she wants me to travel for it,” he says, before Hinata can resume chattering.

Hinata cocks his head. “Travelling? Is… that what you meant by a holiday?” he guesses, looking a little confused, but intrigued nonetheless.

“Yes,” Kageyama sighs, a little relieved Hinata’s caught on. “So she’s a bit of a perfectionist – she likes her shows to be _‘authentic’_ , as she calls it. She said that although she likes my music already, she wants to make sure I capture the _atmosphere_ of the show. So she wants me to go to a similar location to where it’s set so that I can… work to create the right sound, I suppose.”

Hinata nods his head vaguely, following along. “I guess that makes sense. But how is that a holiday?”

“Well, it’s all expenses paid, and I don’t really have to _do_ anything, I just have to be there. And write a basic idea of what the score should be, I guess, so I have something to present to her afterwards. The deal is if she likes it I get hired and if she doesn’t I get paid for the work anyway. Either way, it’s a week away for free.”

Kageyama swallows as he finishes explaining and fists his hands into his jeans as Hinata peers at him with open intrigue. Now he’s at the crucial point, the words have gotten stuck in his throat again. This happens _every_ time he wants to ask Hinata something important and it’s honestly getting rather frustrating. Asking him out on a date at the very beginning (and not even managing _that_ in the end), asking him to officially move in with him, asking if he wants to come with him on his week away – why is it all so _hard?_

It’s _Hinata_. Hinata almost always never says no and anything he does decline he usually does so so kindly it shouldn’t be nerve wracking at all and _yet-_

“Kageyama?”

“Come with me,” Kageyama blurts out, the dam in his throat finally loosened by Hinata’s soft prompting and curious brown eyes. “On the week away I mean. I’ve already looked into it, it should be fine for you to come, and you need a holiday-“

“Come with you?” Hinata interrupts. “I mean… maybe I can? When is it?”

Kageyama brightens, slightly cheered by this positive response.

“But, hang on, what do you mean by _I_ need a holiday?” Hinata adds, a little frown appearing.

Kageyama slumps a little.

Here it is: the crux of the matter. Slowly, and to give himself an opportunity to delay, he shifts on his spot on the sofa until he’s facing Hinata directly. Dragging one leg up onto the cushions and throwing an arm over the back of the sofa in an attempt to look somewhat casual, he takes a deep breath and says, “You’re exhausted.”

Hinata blinks, looking visibly taken aback. “I… am?” he replies, sounding baffled.

Kageyama gives him a pointed look.

“I’m not _exhausted,_ ” Hinata says, sounding a little indignant now. The bewildered expression on his face fades as the small crease between his eyebrows returns.

Kageyama opens his mouth to reply, reconsiders, and moves to settle a gentle hand on Hinata’s knee. The green scrubs crinkle beneath his palm. “Hinata, you look more tired than I’ve ever seen you,” he says, trying to keep his voice calm. He can see Hinata already hunching up, becoming defensive.

For the most part, if Kageyama’s simply badgering him to eat or offering to take a nap with him (a popular past time for everyone in the household, including Carrot) – Hinata takes these gestures of care with a slightly embarrassed smile and little complaint. But Hinata also heavily dislikes any implication he’s underperforming, or being viewed as weak, unable.

It’s a tricky balancing point and one Kageyama sometimes struggles to find the equilibrium for.

“I just think you need a break, that’s all,” Kageyama goes on to say when Hinata offers nothing further, save for the chewing of his bottom lip and a moody twist to his brow. “You’ve been working at full throttle for what feels like _weeks_ and something is going to break.”

 _You_ , he thinks, but does not say.

A soft meow breaks the tension, and Hinata glances down at Carrot, who has wandered back over to them. His expression lifts, just a little, and he pats his lap gently, encouraging her to jump up. She does so, chirping happily, and curls up on his pastel green lap.

Running a hand slowly along her back, Hinata says, still sounding a little sullen, “I’m not _that_ tired.”

“But you are. Tired, that is,” Kageyama murmurs, pushing as much as he dares. He’s so close, he doesn’t want to break it now.

Hinata doesn’t reply for a long moment, simply stroking Carrot rhythmically, the gears visibly turning in his head. “It’s a whole week?” he asks at last.

“Just a week,” Kageyama corrects, trying not to feel too disappointed at what feels like a step backwards. Now it sounds like that’s too long for Hinata.

“But…” Hinata starts to say, a little bit of fret creeping into his voice, “what about my patients? All my cases? What if something happens and I’m not _there_ and-“

“Shouyou.” Kageyama leans forward and grabs for Hinata’s hands, desperate to stop the spiral before it can devolve into panicking. Hinata’s normally so calm about work, it frightens Kageyama a little bit, to see these cracks appearing so readily. It’s tiredness and stress and it’s all wearing Hinata so thin.

Carrot _mrrrrs_ between them, lifting her head at the disruption to her petting. Hinata doesn’t fight Kageyama’s grip on his hands though, instead tightening his fingers around Kageyama's and blowing out a long breath as he does so.

“Shouyou,” Kageyama repeats, once he’s reassured that Hinata feels a little more grounded, “there are three other vets at your office. They’re all good, aren’t they? They can handle you not being there for a few days. You’re allowed to take a break, so please just _take a week off.”_

“But I’ve _never_ taken this much time off-“

“I know,” Kageyama interrupts, before Hinata can come up with another reason to talk himself out of it. “But you really need to have some time away from work.”

Hinata clenches his fingers around Kageyama’s again, his face crumpling into a complicated looking pout. He looks torn between looking sulky and indignant, like he’s not sure which emotion to tumble into first. Kageyama runs his thumbs over Hinata’s knuckles to try and soothe away the sting his words have left. He doesn’t want to offend Hinata, he just wants him to _understand._

Abruptly, Hinata pulls his hands back, and Kageyama panics briefly that he really has upset him, when Hinata just reaches for his scrub top instead and starts wringing the fabric tightly between his hands. His face scrunches up a little more and he hunches his shoulders so high they almost reach his ears. Kageyama wrestles with the urge to reach out to try and calm him – it’s probably better if Hinata just speaks.

“You never take time off either,” Hinata says eventually, his voice mulish and sullen.

Kageyama blinks, taken aback. “I do,” he argues, fighting down the instinct to raise his voice. He doesn’t want to shout. This is _not_ an argument. “I take time off whenever I need to do something.”

And it’s true – his schedule allows him more than enough time to run errands during the week when it’s quiet, so over the course of a year, Kageyama does manage to spend a reasonable amount of time away from his studio.

“Not to _go away_ though. You work all the time, just like I do.”

“I’m pretty sure you put in more hours than me. But even so,” Kageyama replies, injecting just a little sternness into his voice. He doesn’t want an argument, but he does want to make a point. “At least I sleep properly. And eat regularly. And take the time to play and write music just for me when I’m not working. You just need some _balance_ Hinata, that’s all I’m saying. If you keep working at full throttle all the time you’re going to, I don’t know, collapse or something. All you do now is work and you look exhausted every day and I’m _worried.”_

Kageyama ends his rant with a sharp sigh, the puff of air leaving his lungs hard enough to ruffle his fringe. It occurs to him, in the silence that follows immediately afterwards, that perhaps he had gone a little overboard. Twisting his hand into a fist, he scrunches the fabric of his jeans between his clenched fingers. He just wants Hinata to _see_ , not yell at him.

“And you’ll be all alone for the week if you don’t come,” he adds, at a much more tempered volume in a vain attempt to lighten the mood.

Hinata doesn’t reply for a long moment. But he doesn’t drop his gaze or look away, instead keeping his eyes on Kageyama’s – a steady, long look that’s creased with thought. Kageyama swallows roughly, and tries not to worry. At the very least, Hinata doesn’t look cross.

Heaving in a long, slow breath, Hinata tilts his head and gnaws at his bottom lip. “I’m sorry,” he says at last, his shoulders slumping just a bit. “I’m just not used to taking time off.”

Kageyama’s eyebrows twitch in surprise and his heart stutters a little in relief. “Neither am I,” he admits, and hurries to clarify when Hinata raises an eyebrow, “to go away. I know I take time for errands and whenever Carrot needs something but I don’t… go on holiday. It’s like you said. I can’t remember the last time I did.”

Hinata’s mouth twitches and then he’s smiling ruefully. “Neither do I,” he says and then sits up a little straighter, looking brighter. “And it would be nice to go away with you.”

Kageyama’s heart stutters again and he clears his throat, willing his face to not burn too obviously. They’ve been dating for a while now; he shouldn’t be getting this embarrassed.

“So… where are we going?” Hinata asks, curiosity burning bright in his eyes. “If it’s for a filming location… it’s not anywhere weird, is it?”

“No,” Kageyama snorts. “A country village a couple of hours from here. Miya at the coffee shop actually knows someone who lives there – a farmer, I think? He grew up in the same area, and they still keep in touch. He said he should be able to arrange somewhere to stay for us, his friend owns a guesthouse.”

Hinata’s eyebrows knit as he thinks. “Farmer?” he repeats. “Oh! Yes! I remember Atsumu telling me now. I can’t remember his name… but yes, it’s a family owned farm. We were supposed to visit during college but we never ended up going in the end…”

Kageyama nods along vaguely. He keeps forgetting that Hinata went to college (and lived with, at one point) Miya’s twin brother. The world is terrifyingly small sometimes.

“Yeah. A farm. It’s perfect, you’ll love it.”

Hinata cocks his head, intrigued.

“Lots of animals for you to cuddle without _worrying_ about them,” Kageyama elaborates.

Hinata’s eyes go very wide. “Maybe they have goats,” he says unexpectedly.

“I… sure,” Kageyama says, confused but not too keen to go down that particular rabbit hole just yet. He still needs to get Hinata to agree first. “Is that a yes?” he asks hopefully.

Hinata hums for a moment before he nods, his small smile blooming a little wider. “Sure,” he says warmly. “A week with you on a little country farm? That sounds… really nice actually.”

Kageyama sags with both relief and joy and closes the distance between them on the couch to capture Hinata in a celebratory kiss. “Good,” he murmurs against Hinata’s lips, keeping himself close so as to smother his victorious grin.

“Wait,” Hinata says, giving Kageyama one last peck before pulling back. “What are we going to do about Carrot?”

Kageyama blinks, nonplussed. “What do you mean?”

“Well… who’s going to look after her? We can’t just leave her a weeks’ worth of food, she’ll eat it all within an hour. I could ask Yachi, she probably wouldn’t mind-“

“Carrot’s coming with us,” Kageyama interrupts with a little frown. “We’re not leaving her behind. I just said that, didn’t I?”

Hinata stares at him. “No, you said I would be all alone- oh. You meant… _actually_ alone. Not just because _you_ wouldn’t be there. Right.” He shakes his head, looking torn between amused and slightly exasperated. Kageyama’s unsure whether he should feel a little offended or not.

“You’re really going to bring Carrot with us on holiday?”

“Of course. I can’t leave her behind, she’ll be sad,” Kageyama says as though it’s obvious - because it is. “Why? Do you not want her to come?”

“Sure I do,” Hinata replies, instantly and easily, like he didn’t even have to think about it. Kageyama feels his initial irritation seep away. “As long as she doesn’t mind travelling?”

“She should be okay as long as we’re here,” Kageyama says. “She gets more upset when she’s alone for too long.”

Or more accurately: Carrot gets upset when _Hinata_ is gone for too long. Kageyama can still remember vividly her distraught face whenever Hinata left, before he had moved in, and how she’d wander the flat yowling pitifully and flopping over dramatically when her favourite person didn’t immediately appear before her. Even now, whenever Hinata left for longer than a day for a work-related conference, Carrot would still mope without end until he came back home again.

Kageyama doesn’t say this aloud however. He doesn’t want Hinata to worry about leaving Carrot for too long on top of everything else he already worries too much about.

Hinata scrubs a hand through his hair, looking thoughtful again. “Alright,” he says, his voice sounding off while his mind is elsewhere. “When is it again? I need to… see if I can get the time off. And sort out my cases. And make sure that I’ve spoken to-“

“It can be whenever is easiest,” Kageyama cuts in, trying to keep his voice calm to prevent Hinata spiralling off again. “The producer wants me to go in the next month or so, so whichever week is best for you, pick that one.”

Hinata bobs his head, eyes faraway as he thinks. “Okay… okay, I’ll look at the diary tomorrow when I get in. But…” he pauses, scratching his fingernails across his scalp as he visibly scrambles for the words.

Kageyama waits, willing himself to be patient. Don’t push, _don’t push…_ he’s only _just_ got Hinata to agree.

“Can I work the morning we go?” Hinata requests, his eyes still distant as he remains lost in his head. “Then I’ll definitely be prepared.”

Kageyama opens his mouth to protest on instinct – the whole point of going on holiday to get Hinata _away_ from work – but he manages to catch himself just in time. Sucking in a fortifying breath, he angles his head until he catches Hinata’s eye again.

“Just to make sure you don’t need to be called upon?” he checks, squinting. Then he relents a little control to add, and to hammer home his point, “Holidays are for _relaxing.”_

“Just to make sure everything is okay!” Hinata confirms, dropping his hand from his hair to wave it in what he probably thinks is in a reassuring manner. “I won’t worry as much if I know everything’s alright just before we go.”

Kageyama mulls this over. He really doesn’t want Hinata to worry or obsess about anything while they’re away, and while he still isn’t happy about Hinata working up until the very last gasp, if this is the only way he can get him to truly relax, then he will take it. Plus, he can always use the morning to get everything packed and ready, he supposes.

“Fine. But _only_ the morning. And we leave when I arrive to pick you up,” he bargains, fixing Hinata with a stern look. “No hanging around.”

“Deal,” Hinata agrees, and the distance in his eyes clears away instantly with a blink in favour of his usual bright smile.

Kageyama softens immediately at the sight of it, and lets an answering smile of his own spread across his face.

Moving slowly so as to not jostle the sleeping Carrot in his lap, Hinata inches forward until he can lay a kiss on Kageyama’s cheek with an obnoxious _‘mwah!’_

“I really do want to go on holiday with you,” Hinata says, eyes wide and earnest, “sorry if I’m-“

“It’s okay,” Kageyama cuts in. Hinata’s agreed to go – is _happy_ to go – and there’s nothing else he needs to hear at this point. He stands, bending briefly to press a kiss of his own to Hinata’s temple, run his hand over Carrot’s head, and then pads back to the kitchen to finish making dinner.

“Can I cook while we’re away?” Hinata calls after him.

“Every night!” Kageyama hollers back as he frowns down at the battered cookbook he’d left on the kitchen counter. He’s never been very good at timing.

Still, the thought of Hinata cooking in a little farm house out in the country, Carrot winding around his legs, as Kageyama plucks away at his guitar while staring out rolling fields… the image melts his frown instantly, and Kageyama allows himself a little victory grin as he resets the oven timer.

It’s going to be a wonderful week.


	2. Kita Family Farm

In hind sight, letting Hinata work the morning they are due to leave was a mistake.

Kageyama sighs heavily and rests one hand on the veterinary office’s reception desk as he watches Hinata bustle to and fro.

“Isn’t he just wrapping up his cases to pass on to the others?” he asks Yachi, reaching up with his other hand to massage his temple.

Yachi rests her own arms on the desk and leans forward so that she can peer down the corridor that leads to the rest of the practice. Hinata can just about be seen flitting into view every now and then, a blur of orange and green, with anything from medicines to paperwork in his arms.

“He saw a couple of clients first thing when he came in,” Yachi says, sounding almost as exasperated as Kageyama feels. “But they were pretty quick. The rest of the morning he’s been… I don’t know what he’s been doing.”

“Panicking,” Kageyama supplies.

“He doesn’t normally take time off,” Yachi admits, nibbling on one of her nails and looking anxious. “Just a day or two usually, never a full week… but, I mean- I’m sure you know that-“

Kageyama grunts vaguely. He does know and it’s never really bothered him until now. He too doesn’t normally take long stretches off work, and now they live together, he doesn’t really _miss_ Hinata throughout the day – he’s too busy working himself. But unlike Hinata, Kageyama is perfectly capable of managing his time so that he doesn’t burn out.

And Hinata is definitely burning out.

“I’m glad he is though,” Yachi says, now looking less anxious and more so just worried. “Taking a week off I mean. He needs a break.”

Kageyama turns his head to look at her. Yachi isn’t meeting his eye – her gaze still trained down the hallway where Hinata is still dashing back and forth – but he can still see the relief in her face under all the worry. Running his fingers over the wood of the reception desk, he moves to reply before he pauses and simply lets out an agreeing hum.

It’s kind of nice – the vindication he feels from Yachi echoing his sentiments. It certainly helps to know he’s not overreacting at least.

“Are you nearly done?” he calls down the hall when Hinata bustles back into view again.

Hinata’s arms are empty this time and, while he still looks harried, he at least looks a little bit more under control.

Hinata runs a hand through his already messier than usual hair and aims a concentrated frown down at the floor. “I think so…? I just need to- Yachi, do you have those lab reports?”

“Here,” Yachi smiles, lifting the bundle of papers on her desk.

Hinata hurries over, mumbling his thanks as he takes them, starting to leaf through as he walks back down the corridor. “I just need to look these over in case I’ve forgotten anything and then I’m done, I promise!” he calls over his shoulder, rounding the corner and disappearing out of sight.

“Are those current cases?” Kageyama asks, suspicion starting to tingle.

“Nope.” Yachi’s smile turns rueful. “Old ones that have been signed off. He’s just-“

“Obsessing.”

Yachi hums politely, but doesn’t say anything more.

Kageyama turns slightly so that he can lean the small of his back against the edge of the reception desk and folds his arms. If Hinata doesn’t appear within the next ten minutes he’s going to go and drag him out. They should’ve left half an hour ago. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Kageyama sighs and tries not to stare at time ticking away too much.

Five more minutes slip by before Hinata is scuttling back down the hallway again, hands free once more.

“Okay, okay, I’m done!” Hinata babbles as he hurries up to Kageyama.

Kageyama raises an eyebrow. “Going like that, are you?”

Hinata glances down at himself. “Why, what’s wrong with my shirt?” he asks indignantly, running a hand down the simple dark blue button-up he’s gotten changed into. It’s a slightly loose fit – except around the shoulders – and Kageyama is privately wondering whether it is in fact, one of _his._ Hinata has a terrible clothes pinching habit and Kageyama is so prone to sticking to his favourite items of clothing he often doesn’t notice something’s been stolen for weeks.

Clearing his throat, Kageyama looks down at Hinata’s legs pointedly.

Following his gaze, Hinata colours slightly when he notices he’s still wearing his scrub trousers, as well as the shoes he normally wears while working.

“… Right,” Hinata mutters and, determinedly not meeting Kageyama’s eye, spins around and all but dashes back up the hall.

Kageyama watches him go with a bemused shake of his head. “Can you do me a favour?” he asks suddenly, turning to Yachi.

Yachi cocks her head at him.

“Can you… not call him this week?” Kageyama requests, and he digs his fingers into the skin of his forearms where his arms are still folded. “I know he’s generous with his time, but…” he trails off. It feels hypocritical to request this, knowing full well the amount of time Hinata had given _him_ when he needed to ask anything about Carrot. He knows Hinata’s generosity is appreciated by many, that there’ll be others that rely on him just the same, but-

Hinata _really_ needs a rest.

Yachi smiles, her eyes softening with understanding. “Not unless it’s an emergency,” she reassures.

Kageyama sags a little in relief. “Thank you… oh, you’ve managed to get changed,” he directs this last part at Hinata, who has just popped back up at his side again.

Hinata waggles one leg – now clad in jeans – in response, turns to Yachi and immediately starts babbling. “Okay, so I’ve passed on all my cases and called everyone I think I needed to speak to and checked all the lab reports, so nothing should come up but if anything _does-“_

“I’ll ask one of the other vets,” Yachi cuts in with a polite smile. “Unless it’s an _actual_ emergency,” she adds, when Hinata moves to protest. “Please just go and enjoy your week off.”

“You heard the lady,” Kageyama says as Hinata frowns – almost pouting really – and pushes off from where he’s still leaning against the desk. Placing his hand at the small of Hinata’s back, he urges him forward. “Time to go.”

“I…” Hinata starts to say, still looking torn, and Kageyama gives him a little push. He glances over at Yachi, who’s now making little shooing motions with her hands, and sighs in defeat. _“Okay!”_ he ups his pace to get away from Kageyama’s shoving. “I’m _going!_ I’ll see you in a week Yachi.”

“Have fun!” Yachi sings after them as the office doors swing closed in their wake.

To his credit, Hinata does at least look a little more relaxed once he settles in the passenger seat of Kageyama’s car. He even fishes his phone out of his pocket and mutes it.

“How far away is the village anyway?” Hinata asks, as he reclines back in his seat.

“About two hours,” Kageyama replies, fiddling with the maps function on his own phone so that he can use it as a sat-nav. He and Hinata had spent much of the previous evening trying to figure out how to make it work – both of them as useless as each other – and he’s fervently hoping nothing goes wrong along the way. He doesn’t have the _best_ directional sense.

Hinata bobs his head along vaguely, patting his knees and obviously doing his best not to look too antsy. “And we need to go pick up Carrot.”

Kageyama raises an eyebrow, confused, as he settles his phone – now set up – into the little holster on the dashboard so that he can see the screen. “Pick her up? She’s already here.”

As if on cue, a little _mraaaoww_ echoes out from the back of the car and Hinata whirls around his seat, eyes wide.

Carrot blinks at him from her spot on the back seat, curled up on some sort of fancy cat bed with an awful lot of straps attached to it. She’s wearing what looks like a harness that is in turn clipped to a buckled in seat belt and somehow manages to look perfectly comfortable, despite all the restraints.

“Oh,” Hinata says, bewildered. “Hello Pumpkin-“ he gets a little purr in response, “- and you’re… wearing a seat belt.”

Kageyama frowns. “Of course she is. She can’t just run around free in the car, that’s dangerous.”

“Most cats travel in their _carriers-“_

“But then she wouldn’t be able to see anything,” Kageyama points out reasonably.

“I…” Hinata starts, and tilts his head this way and that, as though assessing the set-up. “Fair enough. It _is_ secure, isn’t it?”

Kageyama gapes, deeply offended. “Of course it is!”

He would never put Carrot into any kind of danger – he had tested the set up thoroughly earlier and had read approximately fourteen different reviews before he’d bought anything to ascertain maximum safety and comfort.

“She does look comfy,” Hinata offers, probably to appease him.

Kageyama grumbles and starts the ignition. But he’s too relieved to finally get going to truly keep up his annoyance, and shortly after pulling out of the veterinary office’s carpark and onto the road, he finds himself relaxing back into his seat. Beside him, Hinata reaches over and starts fiddling with the radio, thankfully picking a station that isn’t likely to play any of the songs that Kageyama has written.

(It’s not that he doesn’t like them, it’s just… a little embarrassing listening to them with other people, even if those people are just his boyfriend and his cat.)

By the time they’ve left the busy, narrow roads of the city and are pulling onto the larger, wider freeways that’ll take them to the countryside, Hinata is starting to look decidedly fidgety.

Kageyama feels a little pang of shame. He’s not the best conversationalist and he knows he gets even quieter when he’s concentrating. _Especially_ when he’s concentrating on not getting them lost.

Hinata never seems to mind Kageyama’s quiet moments at home – happily chattering into the silence or content to relax by his side, but they aren’t _at_ home, they’re stuck in a car and Hinata is quite obviously getting very bored.

“Glove compartment,” Kageyama says, inclining his head towards it.

“Hmm?” Hinata leans forward and opens it with a snap, rifling around inside. “What am I looking for?”

“Should be a book in there. And a pen.”

Hinata makes a small triumphant noise as he locates them and resettles back in his seat, looking at the items in his hands with some confusion. “It’s… a crossword book.”

“Should keep you busy,” Kageyama mumbles as he squints at his phone screen. He has to turn off the freeway soon and he does not want to miss the turning.

“… But I’m bad at crosswords.”

“Should keep you busy,” Kageyama repeats, and he tunes out the frustrated grumbling this earns him as he keeps a careful eye on the little dot that signals their position. Once the robotic voice instructs him to turn off and he’s on the correct road, he refocuses and glances over at Hinata out of the corner of his eye.

As expected, Hinata has flipped to the first page of puzzles and is now squinting down at it in thought, the end of the pen stuck in his mouth as he chews on it.

Hinata had once explained to Kageyama that his cases at work were often like puzzles. He had to find all the pieces and then put them together, discarding the ones that didn’t fit, until he had a picture that became his diagnosis.

Kageyama often found it fascinating – the way Hinata would meticulously go through all the information he could find, even at home, until he eventually found his solution.

Buying the puzzle book (along with another present, due to be given to Hinata when they arrive) had been a bit of a gamble. Just because his _cases_ are like puzzles didn’t necessarily mean Hinata would like traditional puzzles. But Hinata is nothing short of the most determined person Kageyama has ever met and once there was something he has set his mind to solving, there’s very little that can be done to stop him.

And so, watching Hinata go completely silent – aside from few a mutterings under his breath – as he works to complete his first crossword, Kageyama feels a little thrill of victory that he has, at least, gotten _this_ right.

* * *

Kageyama leans over and switches off the navigation on his phone. “I think we’re here.”

Hinata hums vaguely, chomping thoughtfully on his pen as he considers twelve across. He’s been considering twelve across for about twenty minutes now, but Kageyama opts not to point this out. It’s been keeping him distracted.

“Can you get the directions to the farm? They’re in the glove compartment,” Kageyama asks as pulls onto a long, narrow winding road. His phone could navigate them to the village, but not to the farm itself.

Hinata doesn’t reply. Kageyama slows his speed on the lane and pokes his thigh.

“Huh?” Hinata jolts to attention and drops his pen into his lap. “Sorry, what am I looking for?”

“Piece of folded paper in the glove compartment – it has instructions on how to get to the farm from the village entrance.”

Hinata closes the crossword book, marking his place with his pen between the pages, and balances it on his knees. Rummaging around in the glove compartment, he makes a small triumphant noise as he finds what he’s looking for, leaning back with the paper in his hands and flipping it open.

The roads they’ve been travelling on have been dwindling in size as they got closer to the village – from the freeway down to standard, two-way roads and now, a small, winding lane that left only enough space for one car at a time. The surface is slightly uneven, Kageyama’s car rocking gently as it rolls along, causing Carrot to stir from her nap on the back seat, squinting around the car blearily.

There’s not much to see just yet – it’s been fields and trees and mountains in the distance for miles now, lush and peaceful in the mid-afternoon sunlight. But as they travel along, a hamlet appears in the distance, a small collection of buildings dotted in a cluster in amongst all the green.

“Pretty,” Hinata comments as they near, the village growing in size as they get closer.

The road moves from uneven concrete to dirt and hard earth as they enter the village proper and Kageyama is surprised at how smooth it is, his car gliding along quietly as the rocks crackle beneath his tyres. The buildings either side of the road vary in size – from houses to shops to larger community spaces. Most are made out of stone and wood, looking handmade from many years ago, quaint and sturdy.

“Turn left when you see the river,” Hinata says as they trundle along what is currently the only road.

Kageyama hums and dutifully turns when, sure enough, a small river appears – a narrow canal winding through the streets, disappearing and reappearing under small bridges, a brilliant blue standing out against the beige of the town. The road they’re on from the entrance leads to a crossroads, branching off into three different directions. Kageyama takes the left one, and follows Hinata’s example in looking around them as they crawl along the narrow lane.

“Very different from the city, huh?” Hinata comments as he gazes out of the windows with big brown eyes. “I can see why that director lady wanted you to come here to soak up the atmosphere. It’s so quiet… Oh, take a right here, by the post office, and then it should be just down the next road.”

Kageyama follows the instructions, quietly marvelling in how few people are around, even though it’s the middle of the day. Compared to the city, where the streets are always bustling, the only street he’s seen so far with more than two people on it had been what he assumes is the main shopping thoroughfare. It’s not quite _silent_ here – the sounds of the river, the people and the general hubbub of life still burbles through the streets, but Hinata is right.

It’s so much quieter than the city.

They roll onto the road that should lead them to the farm – Hinata has folded up in the instructions again, signalling the last of the directions – and Kageyama leans forward in his seat as a large building appears in the distance. Set just a little ways from the main village, down a sloping hill and surrounded by a huge, fenced off field, is the farm.

The main farm house is large - a big, spacious thing made of huge blocks of stone and towering wooden beams. To the side of it is a barn, its massive doors open so that the stalls, currently empty, are visible. Reaching the bottom of the hill, and the end of the road, Kageyama pulls onto a small stone courtyard, littered with straw, situated outside of the farm house and parks, shutting off the engine.

Hinata follows Kageyama’s lead in getting out of the car, murmuring assurances to Carrot, who is now sitting up and looking put out that she’s being left behind. Carrot appeased, he opens his mouth to say something to Kageyama, when a loud honking catches his attention and he and Kageyama turn to see a small gaggle of ducks waddling madly across the yard, their feet slapping across the cobblestones.

“Ducks…” Hinata breathes, like he’s never seen any before, his eyes wide.

Kageyama snorts in amusement and wonders whether he’ll have to snag Hinata’s shirt to keep him in place - lest he chases after them.

“It is a farm, of course there’s-“

He’s cut off by a man coming towards them from the direction of the barn. He’s young, with a sturdy build hardened by manual labour and dressed in hardy clothing. There’s a small, warm smile on his face and as he gets closer he lifts a hand in polite greeting.

“Good afternoon! You must be Kageyama.”

“Hello,” Kageyama greets, stepping forward to accept the handshake that’s being offered.

“I’m Kita,” the man introduces himself, shaking hands with Hinata as well and nodding in turn at each of them. “Welcome the Kita Family Farm. You’re staying with us for the week?”

“Yes, I think Miya forwarded all the information across?” Kageyama replies.

“Osamu, that is,” Hinata pipes up, even as his attention is snatched by two goats that have emerged from the open barn and are wandering the courtyard, nibbling on stray bits of straw and hay. “Atsumu _did_ offer but he’s useless with things like that,” he adds, sounding just a little bit distracted with his eyes fixated on the goats.

Kita huffs a gentle laugh. “It’s nice to know they haven’t really changed,” he says, his voice warm, as if he’s speaking from a place of deep affection. “But yes, he certainly did. Come, follow me, I’ll show you around.”

Kageyama checks Carrot is safe and happy in the car, cracks open a window for her, and follows after Kita. He barely makes it two steps before Hinata is snagging his sleeve.

“They have _goats,”_ Hinata whispers, sounding absolutely thrilled.

Kageyama raises an eyebrow. “It’s _a farm,”_ he says, repeating himself from earlier.

“I _love_ goats.”

“They’re a little particular,” Kita speaks up as they near the farm house. “You can pet ‘em, but don’t be too offended if they aren’t all that friendly sometimes.”

“It’s okay, I got my fair share of head butts when I did my farming rotations… I miss their personalities. Goats are great.”

Kita gives Hinata a curious look but doesn’t comment, instead gesturing to the buildings in front of him. “This is the main house. I’m usually in the fields with the animals or in the orchard, but my grandmother is normally always in should you ever need anythin’. The guest house is there,” he points to a slightly smaller building that resembles a cottage but shares a wall with the larger farm house. “They are attached but the walls are thick, so you’ll have peace and quiet. I ask that you stay out of the barn – too many tools around – but feel free to enter the fields and orchards as you please.”

Kageyama nods along, already privately planning to ask whether they’ll be allowed to pick apples, when Kita turns and fishes a set of keys from his pockets, handing them to him.

“These are the keys to the guest house. I have spare sets, so don’t panic if you lose ‘em.” He drops them into Kageyama’s waiting palm and folds his arms, smiling wider. “I think that’s everythin’? I’ll leave you to explore the guest house at your leisure. I’ll be in the farm house for the next hour or so if you need me, but I’ll be in the fields after that, so just ask for Granny if you need somethin’. All alright?”

“Perfect, thank you,” Kageyama inclines his head in thanks and exchanges another handshake.

Kita grips his hand firmly and beams. “Happy to have you here, enjoy your stay!”

“He’s nice,” Hinata comments as they make their way back to the car to fetch their things (and Carrot), “I can see why Atsumu is still so fond of him.”

“Mmhmm… yes, hello Carrot… no, you _need_ to get into the carrier, sorry. Just to get you across the yard,” Kageyama mumbles to Carrot as he opens the door to the back seat and fishes her carrier from where he’d stashed it in the foot well.

Carrot strains in her little harness, both to get to Kageyama for attention and also to see what’s going on beyond the car, her little pink nose twitching curiously.

“Maybe I can just carry her,” Kageyama muses as he undoes her straps and tuts to himself at his wiggly cat, who’s squirming in and out of his grip as she tries to duck through the gap between his torso and the car, hunting for freedom.

“I wouldn’t,” Hinata says mildly, “there’s a dog.”

“There’s a wha- _Carrot!”_ Kageyama launches and just manages grabs her with one hand – the other still gripping the carrier’s handle – as she tries to jump up at his shoulder. _“You_ do it,” he snaps at Hinata, worry fraying his patience, and he flings out the carrier blindly behind him.

He knows Carrot’s not trying to run away – she just wants to see what’s going on outside of her tiny car world – but it’s hard to keep calm when he has no way of catching her should she choose to streak off after the ducks.

Hinata snickers behind him and takes the carrier, nudging Kageyama out of the way with his hip and slotting into place quickly before Carrot can make another bid for freedom.

Kageyama leaves him to it, knowing full well and with a small amount of annoyance that Carrot will probably trot into her carrier quite happily if _Hinata_ is the one to urge her into it. They both know which one of them Carrot favours; it’s just a simple fact of life at this point.

Rounding around the car to the boot to fetch their bags, Kageyama looks over the courtyard and spots the dog that Hinata mentioned.

It’s a yellow labrador, ambling behind the ducks and the sniffing the ground in their wake, its thick tail wagging lazily to and fro.

Kageyama tilts his head, assessing, as he lifts their bags from the boot of the car. Dating Hinata has given him a whole new outlook on animals’ figures - his own experiences being the most prominent, and embarrassing – and he’s fairly certain that the labrador is really quite fat.

He gives Hinata, who’s lifting Carrot’s carrier with her safely inside and looking victorious, a sardonic look. “You aren’t going to insist they put the dog on a diet too, are you?”

Not that he doesn’t support Hinata’s pursuit of good health for all animals, he just doesn’t want their hosts to be offended and be thrown out.

Hinata, surprisingly, laughs. “Not this time,” he says, voice shaking with amusement.

Kageyama’s brow knits in surprised confusion and Hinata shoots him a teasing wink, knocking the car door closed with his hip as he adjusts his grip on Carrot’s carrier.

“Maybe you do know how to restrain yourself,” Kageyama grumbles, mostly to himself.

His only answer is more of Hinata’s laughter, light and almost secretive, as they make their way across the courtyard to the guest house.

* * *

The guest house is small and old but no less homely for its diminutive size.

Only one story, the front door swings open into a large and spacious living space. There’s a small kitchen area tucked into a corner, and then the rest of the room is occupied by an enormous sofa, squishy looking chairs and plush, handmade rugs strewn across the floor. Large windows line all the walls, one with a handsome desk seated just below it, and in the mid-afternoon sunshine the whole room shines - deep tan wood bathed in a warm summer glow.

Just beyond the sofa is a large doorway opening out into a wide hallway that stretches further into the house. A tilt of Kageyama’s head as he steps further inside reveals two further doors that can just about be seen: the bedroom and bathroom, presumably.

“Cosy,” Hinata comments with a smile as he wanders into the centre of the room, Carrot’s carrier secure in his grasp.

Kageyama hums his agreement, dropping their bags to the floor temporarily so he can close the front door. He watches Hinata out of the corner of his eye hopefully, and is quietly thrilled when the small smile on his face spreads a little wider as he takes in his surroundings.

“Come on then, you,” Hinata murmurs to Carrot once he’s finished dragging his eyes around the sun drenched room. He places her carrier down on one of the rugs gently and crouches down, flicking open the latches to the door and swinging it open.

Carrot’s little pink nose, twitching and curious, appears first, and then the rest of her, slinking and slow as she tiptoes out. At first, she stays low to the ground, her eyes wide and huge at her sudden, brand new surroundings. But then Hinata runs a soothing hand across her back and chatters to her – inane nonsense about goats and ducks and patches of sunbeams – and she steadily starts to relax.

Kageyama breathes out a relieved little sigh when she straightens up fully, ears perked up curiously and her tail twitching up high as she starts to explore and sniff everything she sees. At least it looks like she won’t hide or cower now. Bending down, he reaches for their bags again, satisfied that both cat and boyfriend are happy with their new home for the week.

Hinata hurries to join him, taking half of the luggage himself and trotting after Kageyama’s heels until they reach the bedroom.

 _“Ohh…”_ Letting out a little coo, Hinata peers around Kageyama’s arm, gazing around the room with bright eyes.

It’s not as big as their room back home, but it’s much brighter. Not hampered by high rise buildings or cloud, light streams in through the window and bathes every square inch of the room in sunshine. Kageyama nods his own appreciation, swinging the bags in his hands up onto the bed. It’s a decently sized bed at least, more than enough for the two of them – and Carrot, if she chose to join them – with two small bedside tables set neatly either side.

“Should we unpack?” Hinata asks, though he makes no move to do so, following Kageyama’s lead and placing his own share of luggage onto the bed spread.

Kageyama shrugs. “No rush, we can do it later,” he says nonchalantly. They had only brought one bag for each of them and Carrot, along with Kageyama’s guitar case and laptop. It won’t take long to unpack once they’re settled.

“Let’s have lunch,” he suggests instead, reaching for the bag he’d packed and rifling around inside until he finds _another_ bag – small, robust, and made for keeping food cool. “I brought some food.”

Hinata lets out an intrigued hum, taking the cool bag from Kageyama and peering inside. Kageyama watches him hopefully – he’s filled it with ingredients that Hinata normally buys when he’s planning to cook, so if this works…

“Can I make dinner?” Hinata asks, his nose still inside the bag. “I can make something small if you’re hungry now, but-“

“Sure,” Kageyama interrupts, a little too eager in his glee. _Victory_ , he thinks, with a little thrill. Hinata loves to cook; he will be suitably distracted for a good hour this way.

Hinata brightens visibly and rocks up on his toes to plant a little kiss on Kageyama’s cheek before scuttling out of the room in pursuit of the kitchen.

Feeling incredibly pleased with himself, Kageyama wanders over to the bed where his bag is still resting and opens it, fishing around inside for his laptop case. Successfully unearthed, he tucks it under his arm and pads down the hallway, dodging past Carrot as she sniffs her way past, still on her mission to scent every last square inch of the house.

With the sound of Hinata’s distant humming buzzling merrily in his ears, Kageyama meanders over to the desk that lies beneath the large, expansive window in the living area, and gently sets his laptop case on top. It’s a very handsome desk – deep, luscious oak and sturdy, with more than enough room for his equipment. He’s privately a little jealous; even his work station is smaller than this.

Unzipping his case, Kageyama fishes out his laptop, plugs it in and leaves it to boot up, digging out various miscellaneous items from the case’s pouches as the speakers sing out their opening tune. Pens, blank music sheets, notebook, a pocket recorder for any sounds he might find useful… Kageyama scatters them around the desk surface, unused to so much space, and settles down in the nearby chair.

There’s a chirp as he moves to sign in to his laptop and he turns his head, just in time to catch Carrot leaping up onto the desk surface, her tail twitching behind her.

“Hello,” Kageyama murmurs as she butts her head against his chin. “Have you come to see me because Hinata won’t feed you?”

It’s a common occurrence. Carrot sits and begs whenever Kageyama cooks, because there is still hope in her heart that he will give in. Carrot doesn’t bother when Hinata cooks, because Hinata has never in his life given her a titbit.

“Yeah I know,” Kageyama says sympathetically when she wanders around to stand right in front of him, flopping dramatically onto her side against the laptop with a pitiful meow. “He’s mean.”

“Six and a half kilograms!” Hinata, who apparently has the ears of a bat, hollers from the kitchen.

 _“Very_ mean,” Kageyama reiterates, dropping his voice to a whisper.

Carrot starts to purr as a constant stream of stars appear on the laptop screen in the password bar; she’s lying on some of the keys, no doubt.

Kageyama leans in closer, until her fur starts to brush against his nose.

“Can you do me a favour?” he whispers to her. Her golden eyes gaze back, half-lidded in her contentment. “Can you distract Hinata all week? Keep him happy?”

Carrot flicks an ear, nose twitching, before she rolls from her side, off of the laptop keys and onto her front. Her purrs grow louder and she rubs her head all over Kageyama’s face, crowding into his space.

“Thank you,” Kageyama murmurs, rubbing his fingers behind her ears.

* * *

By the time Kageyama has managed to convince Carrot that lying in the sunbeam that’s streaming over the desk just to the side of his laptop is a _much_ better plan than sprawling across his keyboard, Hinata has finished his cooking preparations and the smell of slowly cooking food fills the room.

Kageyama’s stomach grumbles in anticipation as he finally manages to sign in to his laptop. Judging from the ingredients he’d provided, he thinks the meal should be ready within the next hour or so, but he swivels in his seat to check.

Hinata has settled himself on the sofa, feet tucked underneath him, and has a light frown on his face as he buries his nose into-

Kageyama scowls. “Hey!”

Bewildered, Hinata’s head snaps up, eyes wide. “What?”

“Put that down!” Kageyama gestures furiously at the book in Hinata’s hands – which is _not_ the crossword book he’d been pouring over earlier, but one of his veterinary journals. He didn’t even know Hinata had managed to sneak any into his bag; he would’ve confiscated each and every one if he’d known.

“Why?” Hinata demands, his bafflement transforming into annoyance.

“You’re supposed to be _relaxing.”_

Hinata frowns harder and flaps his journal at Kageyama’s laptop. _“You’re_ working!”

“ _I’m_ supposed to be working,” Kageyama shoots back, frustration building quickly before he can stop it. “And even then it’s not- _work work_. I’m not even doing anything today, I’m just setting up.”

“What the hell is _work work_?” Hinata grumbles, some of the ire leaving his eyes, though the sulky expression remains.

Kageyama flaps a hand irritably. “Unenjoyable crap that you have to slog through under obligation,” he says, snapping out words without really considering them.

He’s here to write music in a beautiful setting – which isn’t even remotely stressful – and here Hinata is, ready to wind himself up again.

“Just. You’re here to rest, remember? It’s a week off,” Kageyama sighs, his voice still tight.

Hinata doesn’t reply right away, and the pause makes Kageyama aware of the tension vibrating in his body. Twisting his hand into a fist, he curls his fingers in tight, channelling his frustration until he can heave in a few deep breaths to forcibly calm himself down.

They’ve only just arrived – he does _not_ want an argument right now.

“Please?” he settles on at last, relaxing his hand and slaying it across the warm wood of the desk. “Just try and relax?”

Hinata’s brow twists a little more and he flaps his journal to and fro, considering. The silence stretches on for a little longer, tense and unbearable, but eventally he sighs as well, tossing his journal gently onto the small coffee table a short ways from the sofa.

Kageyama watches him, anxious, as, without a word, Hinata swings himself into standing and simply leaves the room. For a beat, Kageyama sits in his chair, frozen, unable to decide whether he should get up and chase after him or stay here. Maybe Hinata is furious, maybe he doesn’t want to talk to Kageyama right now and oh god they’ve only been here for an hour-

Then, immediately disrupting his spiral, Hinata walks back in again – this time with the crossword book and pen in his hand. He lifts them to show Kageyama, a small, almost sheepish smile on his face, and vaults back onto the sofa when he reaches it, settling back against the cushions.

“Am I allowed to solve twelve across?” Hinata asks he reclines back, the smile on his face becoming a little sharper, a teasing undertone lying beneath.

Kageyama hovers. Hinata still looks a little on edge, like if Kageyama says the wrong thing here his temper might just spark for real.

“Of course,” he says at least, speaking slowly. “Thank you.”

Hinata nods, seemingly appeased by this, returning back to his puzzle without another word and the tension in the room lifts like mist on the water.

Kageyama turns around, relieved that Hinata has now finally settled with his crossword book again, and refocuses his attention back on his laptop. It’s finished booting and he gets to work starting up the programmes ready for when he starts writing properly tomorrow. As the progress bars flick up on the screen, he’s just plugging in his small, portable electronic keyboard when something catches his eye through the window pane.

The desk he’s seated at sits just below a wide, expansive window that looks out onto the farm’s courtyard. He can see almost everything from this spot: from the farmhouse to the barn, across the cobblestoned yard where his car and what looks like the farm’s old jeep are parked off to the side, and the small lane that snakes back up to the rest of the village, swatches of endless green either side.

And in the middle of the courtyard, waddling their way happily after a small cluster of chickens, is the labrador.

Kageyama pokes the rest of the wires into his keyboard without looking – he knows where they are from memory – and watches with some amusement as the dog ambles across the cobblestones, tail wagging madly. Although it pains him to admit it, he can now see just how _round_ the dog is, and how it’s not too dissimilar to how Carrot had looked all those months ago. He sighs; Hinata’s influence is truly rubbing off on him.

“You’re _really_ not going to say anything to these farmers, are you?” he asks Hinata as the thought suddenly pops back into his brain.

Hinata grunts vaguely.

Kageyama swivels around in his seat, tapping at a programme prompt with his laptop trackpad before giving Hinata his full attention.

Hinata isn’t looking back him. Now fully sprawled across the sofa, reclining against one arm with his legs stretched across the cushions (a little too short for his socked feet to touch the other arm), he looks the most laid back Kageyama has seen him all day. His thoughtful frown notwithstanding that is, as Hinata chomps on his pen and squints down at the puzzle he’s trying to solve.

“The farmers,” Kageyama repeats. “You’re not going to say anything to them?”

Hinata flicks his eyes from his crossword to Kageyama and raises an eyebrow.

Kageyama sighs and waves a hand vaguely at the window. “Their dog. The labrador that’s wandering around? You’re going to tell them off about his weight are you?”

It would be coming from a good place, but Kageyama knows from… _personal experience_ that it’s not always the easiest thing to hear. And the last thing he wants is for Hinata to get into an argument with their hosts. Or get them thrown out if they take enough offence. Hinata is normally fairly polite, but he does have trouble with holding his tongue sometimes.

“Oh,” Hinata mumbles, dropping his eyes back down to his book. He scribbles something down and then cocks his head, like he’s reconsidering what he’s just written. “No, she’s fine.”

“She… is?”

“Yep,” Hinata replies, popping the ‘p’. He crosses out what he’s just written down and taps his pen against his chin before scratching out another answer. “She’s pregnant, not fat.”

“… Oh,” Kageyama murmurs, voice going a little high as his eyes go round in wonder. Twisting back around in his chair, he peers through the window at the labrador, who is now sitting down, her back legs spread awkwardly over the cobblestones to make room for her large tummy, as she pants happily at a duck who has wandered close to her.

“Puppies?” he breathes, mostly to himself.

“You might get to see them!” Hinata calls, his voice slightly garbled as he talks around his pen. “She looks pretty far along, and canine pregnancies are quite short, all things considered. We’re here for a week, so… it’s possible.”

Kageyama feels his eyes go wider. He does, admittedly, prefer cats to dogs (Carrot will always be the light of his life, even if he is not hers anymore) but he is still weak to baby animals. Small, round squeaking sausages… he’s always been a little jealous of the amount of kittens and puppies Hinata gets to see on a daily basis, the thought of getting to see some for himself for a change sends a little thrill of glee up his spine.

“I’ll ask the farmers when they’re expecting her to be due,” Hinata offers, the paper of his book crinkling as he turns the page to a new puzzle. “I haven’t seen any labrador puppies in a _long_ time…”

Kageyama hums softly, keeping his gaze fixed on the expecting dog outside, thinks about Hinata holding a tiny puppy and wills her to pop _very soon_.

* * *

The rest of the day manages to pass in peace with Hinata not even attempting to do anymore work and Kageyama is almost ready to congratulate himself on a job well done – until they start to settle down for the night.

“Hinata…” Kageyama sighs as they settle into bed, dragging the covers over his lap, “stop looking at your phone.”

“I’m just wondering whether to set an alarm…” Hinata pouts, even as he blatantly swipes through his messages, looking for a notification that simply isn’t there.

“What on earth for? You rise with the sun anyway,” Kageyama grumbles.

Or he _should_ do, he thinks privately, as he shuffles along the mattress and tries to get comfortable. The guesthouse bed is quite soft and plush, but sleeping in a strange bed for the first time is always difficult.

“I should at least keep it on loud…” Hinata murmurs, seemingly mostly to himself.

 _“Why?”_ Kageyama despairs, unable to keep the whine out of his voice.

There’s a _fwump,_ and then pressure at the foot of the bed as Carrot suddenly leaps up to join them. She steps across the duvet gingerly, her little paws pressing down daintily as she tries to work out which bumps where legs and which were just bundles of duck down. Kageyama reaches for her as she tiptoes closer and she butts her head against his fingers with an excited chirrup.

“Well, what if someone calls…”

“At night?” Kageyama looks down at Carrot, who blinks back up at him with huge golden eyes, uncomprehending. He huffs at her. She could at least help him out by being a distraction.

“If it’s an emergency-“

_“Shouyou.”_

Hinata wrenches his gaze from his phone screen, somehow still managing to pout while trying to portray an image of innocence.

“I told Yachi _not_ to call you, and if there’s an emergency overnight they’ll call someone who should be _awake_ , so stop looking at your phone and _go to sleep_.”

Making a noise that’s between a frustrated groan and a whine, Hinata fiddles with his phone settings – seemingly deciding ‘vibrate’ is sufficient – and tosses his phone onto the bedside table. Wiggling down the mattress, he flops onto his back, the pillows puffing up on either side of his head with the force, and continues to look troubled.

Kageyama resists the urge to sigh and worms his way down himself until he’s lying on his side, propping himself up with one arm. “Look,” he says, trying his best to keep the impatience out of his voice. Resting his head on his hand, he uses his free arm to loop loosely around Hinata’s waist. “You went in this morning and sorted everything out, didn’t you? How many times have you actually been called after you went home after work?”

Hinata frowns harder, but this time it’s a scowl of defeat.

Because Kageyama is correct – there’s only been one time, in all the nights they have spent together, that Hinata has been called in. And even then it was just for some advice from a panicking night shift receptionist, Hinata didn’t even have to _leave._

Hinata still says nothing, though some of the tension in his frown eases just a little bit.

With a huff, Kageyama lifts his arm from Hinata’s waist and waggles his fingers at Carrot, making quiet noises at her.

Carrot chirrups, her ears perking up, and she stumbles upright from her place on the duvet and staggers across until she nears them. Tentatively finding her footing, once she’s happy that it’s Hinata she’s now stomping on, she crawls up confidently, standing on Hinata’s chest and gazing down at him lovingly.

“Why do they always aim for the diaphragm?” Hinata wheezes, trying to get Carrot to move her foot off the one particular spot on his ribcage that she’s chosen to lean all of her weight on.

“Cuddle Carrot and go to sleep,” Kageyama instructs, with little sympathy for his plight. He’s Carrot’s favourite, so he really has no place to complain where she wanted to stand.

Carrot starts to purr, loud and rolling, and a little drop of drool drops from her mouth just as Hinata succeeds in getting her to shift.

“Ugh!” Hinata complains as it lands on his chin. “Thank you Pumpkin…”

Kageyama snickers, flopping fully back down onto the mattress and forcibly closing his eyes. He feels Hinata settle into place beside him, possibly sensing the matter has been settled, the mattress springs squeaking as he moves. Shuffling across, Kageyama curls himself around Hinata’s side, latching onto his body heat, and buries his nose into the hair at the top of his head.

“Night,” he grunts, just to make it clear that it’s time to _sleep_ now.

“G’night,” Hinata mumbles back, and Kageyama is relieved to hear no sulking in his voice.

Nestling himself closer until he’s comfortable, Kageyama breathes out a long sigh and lets the sound of Hinata’s soft breathing and Carrot’s gentle purrs ease him off to sleep.

Tomorrow, their holiday of relaxation begins in earnest.


	3. Puzzle Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please heed the tags for this chapter!

Kageyama is awoken by something cold and wet pressing into his eyelid.

With a grunt, he reaches out with clumsy hands, and paws at Carrot’s head until she relents and stops sticking her nose into the crevices of his face. Carrot _mrraaoows_ at the new attention she’s receiving, rubbing her head across his fingers, a purr igniting in her throat.

Kageyama lays there, feeling the dregs of sleep leave him slowly as Carrot settles down on his chest, resting her little head just under his chin, purring happily now that he’s awake. He runs a hand down her back rhythmically, keeping his eyes closed as he waits for awareness to return in stages. The first thing he notices, once he’s shifted his limbs around a bit, is that aside from Carrot, he’s the only one in the bed.

The spot beside him has lost its warmth, telling him that Hinata had gotten up quite a while before Carrot had woken him up. As Kageyama cracks his eyes open to squint at the crinkled, unfamiliar bedsheets next to him, his first instinct is to be annoyed. They’re on _holiday_ , the least Hinata could do is lounge around in bed with him.

But then, as sleep finally starts to truly leave him, he realises this is the first time Hinata has gotten out of bed in his usual ‘rise with the sun’ routine in days.

The thought is cheering – though he still gives himself a moment to mourn the loss of a morning cuddle – and with a grunt, he sits up. Keeping a hand on Carrot so as to not jostle her and keep her to his chest, he shuffles until he can swing his legs over the side of the bed and plant his feet on the old wooden floorboards. Carrot wiggles a little in his hold until he lets go so that she can slide down to settle in his lap instead.

Kageyama rubs his fingers behind her ears and yawns widely, picking the sleep from the corner of his eyes. Blinking blearily into the bright, sunlit room, the first thing he notices is the large sheet of paper that’s been left on the bedside table by his side of the bed.

Humming curiously, he plucks it up, finding Hinata’s familiar scrawl across it.

_‘Gone for a run – DON’T FEED CARROT.’_

Kageyama snorts and looks down at Carrot, who blinks back up at him innocently. “You wouldn’t try to get yourself a second breakfast, would you?” he says.

Carrot chirrups and swipes her sandpaper tongue across his chin.

Huffing, Kageyama bounces his knees until she gets the hint and clambers off, dropping neatly to the floor. Stretching out his shoulders, Kageyama yawns once more and rocks to his feet, casting another look at the note Hinata had left with a small smile.

Up early and out for a run. Looks like all Hinata needed was a little break to help reset him back to his usual routine.

Feeling positively cheery that his plan, for now at least, seems to working, he pads through to the cottage’s bathroom, Carrot winding around his legs as he goes.

By the time he’s finished up his morning routine, gotten changed, and is contemplating whether to start breakfast now or wait for Hinata to get back, life outside in the farm seems to have fully blossomed to life. Now the sun has well and truly risen, heralding the start of morning, the animals outside have finally awoken.

It’s not noisy, not like it is in the city, but there is a constant chatter – of ducks quacking and goats bleating, and what sounds like an engine grumbling away in the distance. Kageyama glances out of the kitchen area’s window that looks out onto part of the courtyard as he switches on the kettle, watching as three ducks scamper across the cobblestones, wings flapping, as a goat trots after them, bleating loudly.

Kageyama raises his eyebrows. “Different,” he comments lightly as Carrot leaps up onto the counter and plants her feet on the windowsill to peer out of the window herself. Her tail shoots straight up into the air and quivers when she spots the ducks, her golden eyes becoming huge.

“Bit bigger than the sparrows you see at home, huh?” Kageyama says, tweaking her tail between his fingers.

Carrot ignores him, staring rapturously at the biggest birds she has ever seen in her small life.

The kettle clicks off, the water boiled, and Kageyama just starts to reach for it when the sound of someone knocking the door interrupts him.

Figuring that it’s Hinata, who must’ve forgotten to take the keys to the guest house with him, Kageyama wanders over to the front door, a smart comment ready on his tongue, and opens the it to find… an old lady standing in front of him.

“Good morning!” she sings out, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening as her smile widens. “I’m Yumie, I believe you’ve already met my grandson.”

“Oh,” Kageyama says, intelligently, and it takes a moment for his still drowsy brain to piece together that this is Kita’s… Granny. “Yes, good morning.” He inclines his head politely.

“I won’t keep you, I just wanted to give you these,” Yumie says, handing him a small woven basket. “A little welcome gift for staying on our farm.”

Kageyama peeks inside. “Eggs?”

“On the house! Fresh from the hens and ducks this morning.”

Kageyama lets out an intrigued noise and looks a little closer. And, indeed, the selection of eggs in the basket do seem to differ slightly from each other. “Thank you very much,” he says earnestly. Hinata in particular loves eggs and Kageyama in turn loves all the meals he can create with them, so this is a much appreciated morning surprise.

Yumie’s eyes twinkle at him happily and she gives his arm a maternal sort of pat, before she turns and starts shuffling back across the courtyard towards the farm house, dodging someone else jogging up along the way.

“Morning,” Hinata pants out as he nears, pulling the headphones from his ears. As usual, and very irritatingly, he doesn’t look that tired at all despite just returning from a run – his hair windswept and his cheeks slightly rosy, but otherwise looking bright as a button.

“Eggs,” Kageyama says in response, after accepting the brief kiss Hinata bestows him.

“Huh?” Hinata blinks at him, and then down at the basket when Kageyama waves it in his line of sight. “Oh! Eggs! From the farm?”

“Fresh this morning.”

Hinata lets out a little coo, poking the shells gently with his finger. “Have you eaten? I had something small before I went out but I can make us a proper breakfast if you want-“

“Please,” Kageyama replies, cutting Hinata off in his hurry to agree.

(It’s not even a ploy to keep Hinata relaxed and happy this time, he just _really_ wants a bowl of Hinata’s egg over rice.)

Hinata grins at him, as bright and blinding as the morning sunshine behind him. “Go and make us tea then.”

Kageyama feels his lips wobble as eager smile starts to pull at them and all but hurries back into the kitchen.

The sun hangs high in the sky by the time Hinata stands from the table to collect their breakfast bowls – both almost scraped clean – and wanders over to the sink to wash them. “Are you going to start writing today?” he asks over his shoulder, turning the taps on.

“Maybe,” Kageyama replies, brow creasing as he considers this. He joins Hinata, dunking their tea mugs into the soapy water slowly rising in the sink and taking the first piece of clean crockery that’s offered to him to dry, snatching a tea towel up from the counter. “I think I need to jot down some ideas first though, before I can actually writing anything.”

“Do you have a script?” Hinata questions. “Like what the story is about and stuff?”

“Just an outline – no details. I guess if I don’t get the job they don’t want anything leaking? I just have to write samples anyway, so nothing to fit a particular scene exactly.”

Hinata nods along, scrubbing the dishes and dutifully passing them to Kageyama. “So you only know the theme, or premise I guess?”

He continues to babble on, peppering Kageyama with genuinely curious questions, glancing up at him occasionally with wide, engaged eyes. It’s so pleasant, having Hinata chatter away in his ear that Kageyama almost drops the crockery he’s drying because he’s not paying enough attention. He’s gotten so used to Hinata being too tired in the mornings to talk for long, or leaving so early, that he can’t remember the last time they’d been in the kitchen together, talking about… anything at all really, beyond morning greetings.

Even on weekends, Hinata is often too sleepy to engage much before mid-morning, and the day has already well and truly started by then.

Kageyama settles the last of the mugs on the drying rack, glancing at Hinata at the corner of his eye as Hinata drains the sink and moves to meander back into the main part of the living room.

It’s only the second day and already Hinata looks perkier than he has done in _weeks_ – half a day’s rest and a good night’s sleep, followed by a home grown, home cooked breakfast… it’s done so much for him already.

Kageyama feels a little thrill of triumph buzz through him, quickly sharpening into glee when thinks how good Hinata might feel after the full week.

As Hinata settles in once more with his crossword book, left on the sofa from last night, Kageyama moves to his makeshift work station by the desk, feeling immensely satisfied. His good mood translates well into his work, and shortly after settling himself down into the desk chair, he’s already filled a page in his notebook with musical ideas and points of inspiration. Their new setting is quiet, but still full of its own unique noises and atmosphere, and already he can start to think of the bars and notes that would best represent them.

He’s just considering how strange he might look if he went for a walk around town with his pocket recorder, just to collect some samples, when there’s a growl of frustration behind him.

Swivelling in his seat, he raises his eyebrows at Hinata, who has his crossword book approximately two centimetres from his face and is glaring holes into the page.

“Stuck?” he calls.

It turns out to be the wrong thing to say.

“There’s like… _ten_ different options for seven down,” Hinata growls. The pages of his book crinkle worryingly under his white knuckle grip. “And every time I pick one I have to change another answer which just messes up the whole puzzle and-“ he breaks off to let out another aggravated snarl, shaking his book slightly.

“Maybe take a break?” Kageyama offers, eyes roving around the room in search of a clock. Maybe they could go on that walk he was considering…

“And do what?” Hinata snaps, “You’re working and I’m not _allowed_ to do anything else.”

Kageyama heaves in a deep breath and resists the urge to bark back. Hinata’s just frustrated, do not have an argument on holiday, _do not_ get into an argument on your first couples’ holiday…

“Let’s go for a walk,” he suggests, a little too loudly, getting up sharply from his chair with a clatter. Carrot stirs on the sofa where she had been napping, blinking balefully at him at the noise. Decision made, Kageyama shoves his work materials away and storms to the front door in a hunt for his shoes.

“Come on!” he snaps when he’s shoved them on, bending down and grabbing Hinata’s trainers, waving them in the air. “Let’s go have a stroll around the river or something.”

“Try not to sound _too_ enthusiastic,” Hinata mutters sarcastically, but he does snap his book closed and get to his feet, running an apologetic hand over Carrot as he does so.

Kageyama measures his breathing as Hinata snatches his shoes from him so that he can stuff them on. This is fine. Hinata is just frustrated, and he wanted to go for a walk around town anyway. This will be mutually beneficial. The bad mood will pass, Hinata doesn’t usually sulk for long. It is _fine._

It’s only when they’re half way up the hill to the town that Kageyama realises he forgot his pocket recorder, and he muffles a groan, lest he set Hinata off again by complaining about it before they even reach the river.

* * *

The rest of the walk from the farm up to the village is awkward and altogether too quiet.

Hinata’s tetchy mood hasn’t lifted, despite Kageyama’s hopes, and he rather feels like he’s walking next to a small storm cloud rather than his boyfriend on a quaint country lane. The sheer silence around them doesn’t help matters either. It should be pleasant – nothing but the breeze and birdsong and sound of animals in the distance – but it only highlights the tension in the air instead.

Kageyama resists the urge to sigh and scrambles around for some sort of conversation starter or anything at all to break Hinata out of his bad mood, and predictably comes up with nothing. He’s not _good_ at this. Talking, breaking the ice, getting a conversation rolling. Those are thing that Hinata is good at.

Determined not to let his frustration topple over into a bad mood of his own – he _really_ doesn’t want any tempers to spark in the middle of a quiet village – Kageyama speeds up his pace and powers down the street until the buildings alongside them become more numerous.

Hinata doesn’t say anything, simply hurries along in response, but some of the gloom in his face does recede slightly as the street gets busier. Perhaps it’s just that he has more to look at rather than the seemingly endless swatches of green back at the farm, but he gazes around them with a little more openness and curiosity, albeit still with tense lines marring his brow.

As the buildings start to pop up more frequently, until they are constant line on either side of them, Hinata suddenly stops and snags Kageyama’s sleeve.

“Is that the market?”

Kageyama pauses, the loose dirt that seems to cover all of the streets here crunching beneath his shoes, and turns in the direction Hinata is pointing.

Across a little bridge that arcs over the stream that bubbles throughout the village is a street that curves slightly and then widens. The buildings here are sparser, but larger, resembling community spaces rather than housing. And all along each side of the road are stalls – with bright, colourful awnings and rows upon rows of boxes full of merchandise and groceries. There are people everywhere down here, more in one place than anywhere else so far, chattering and bartering and bustling to and fro, flitting between the stalls.

“We have food at the house, but we can get some fresh ingredients here, if you want,” Kageyama offers, following Hinata’s line of sight towards the food stalls.

Hinata makes a happy little noise and starts moving towards the bridge that leads towards the market, already making a beeline for the nearest vegetable stand.

Kageyama mouth twitches in amusement. He wouldn’t say Hinata is a _snob_ when it comes to food – he never complains if Kageyama buys packaged instead of fresh, and he never turns anything away – but he is a health nut. Maybe it’s from his profession or maybe it’s just _Hinata_ , but waving fresh fruit and vegetables under his nose almost always seems to perk him up.

Relieved that the bad mood seems to have, for now at least, receded, Kageyama quietly pushes the coin purse he had, by some small miracle, managed to bring with him into Hinata’s hand and allows him to purchase whatever vegetables he wants.

At the very least, he’s going to be having a good dinner tonight.

By the time they reach the other end of the market, Hinata has a bulging paper bag in one arm full of groceries – and a handmade scarf.

Kageyama had bought it on impulse after passing by a stall selling woven accessories while Hinata was examining tomatoes. Sold by a kindly old lady, it was a bright, lush green that matched the surrounding fields perfectly. It’s still summer, and far too warm for scarves, but Kageyama still remembers Hinata’s usual multi-coloured one he wears in winter, and how it has no green in it at all.

And well, green is his favourite colour on Hinata, so it hadn’t taken much thought before he was pushing money into the old lady’s palm and slipping the soft woollen scarf into the grocery bag.

“The cauliflower is so big here!” Hinata enthuses when they emerge out the other end of the market. The street narrows again, back into residential lanes that follow the path of the river, and they amble along, neither in a hurry to get back.

Kageyama snorts. Cauliflower is cauliflower, as far as he’s concerned, but if it made Hinata happy…

The noise of the market fades into the background as they stroll along, and Kageyama moves to slip his hand into Hinata’s, who knots their fingers together loosely without looking.

He half expects Hinata to start jabbering away about the rest of the vegetables he’s bought, or what meals he plans to make with them, but he doesn’t. Kageyama sneaks a look at him out of the corner of eye with some trepidation, looking for any signs of the bad mood from earlier descending again. He’s hoping the market had been a cure for Hinata’s annoyance, not just a temporary distraction.

But, thankfully, Hinata seems to be in his usual fair weather mood, if looking a bit thoughtful.

Kageyama runs his thumb over Hinata’s as he ponders the question he wants to ask.

“Do you like it here? I know we’re here to relax but you’re not… _too_ bored are you?” he enquires eventually, trying not to sound too demanding. He wants an honest answer, after all. This is a holiday for Hinata to enjoy.

Hinata hums and swings their hands to and fro. “Hmm… not sure,” he says, and Kageyama’s head snaps up in panic before he notices the playful smile that’s twisted across Hinata’s face. “I’m still thinking about seven down. That’s pretty vexing.”

Their eyes meet and they snort simultaneously, Hinata leaning his head into Kageyama’s shoulder as he snickers, overly amused by his own joke. Kageyama gives his hand a squeeze, too relieved to hear the little burst of laughter to call him out on his terrible humour.

“How’s the music going?” Hinata asks once he’s sobered up, rocking upright again and cocking his head at Kageyama curiously.

Kageyama chews on his bottom lip as he thinks about how to answer that question.

They round a corner as he mulls it over, the street they’re now on becoming a little wider. The surface is completely unsuitable for cars, rugged and uneven, with bursts of plants and flowers everywhere, following the path of the narrow stream that runs through this part of town. But it somehow manages to not messy at all. Like someone came along every now and then and trimmed back the vegetation, made it a pleasant stroll where nature and town met in the middle. The buildings on both sides of the lane alternate between houses and small, quiet shops, with only a few people milling about. Compared to the bustle of market, it’s remarkably peaceful.

Kageyama spots an empty bench, wide and spacious, nestled in between two large plant pots right in front of the stream, just outside what appears to be a bakery and heads towards it, tugging Hinata along in his wake.

“I _think_ I have an idea,” he says, once he’s sat down and Hinata has settled next to him, their shopping taking up the rest of the seat. “It’s just a very different approach to what I’m used to, because there’s no lyrics I have to worry about. I guess it’s similar to the pieces I used to write when I was in college, or what I want to make in my own time, but it’s… different.”

It’s true. He’s never written long pieces like this, not for a paying client anyway, but the challenge is fun and new and Kageyama is hoping so badly he does well at it.

“Is this what you want to do?” Hinata asks, shuffling along the seat until they’re pressed close side by side. He throws an arm over the back of the bench and across Kageyama’s shoulders. “Instead of the pop songs?”

“I hate the pop songs,” Kageyama says before he can even really consider the question properly. Because, well, he does. Lyrics are difficult and far from his strong suit, and Kageyama often feels like he’s just rehashing the same thing over and over again simply because he knows it will sell. “They’re easy, mostly, except for words, but they’re not… fun. They just pay the bills.”

Hinata hums, stretching his hand where it’s wrapped around Kageyama’s shoulders until his fingers can brush up and down his upper arm. “But you _want_ to have fun?” he guesses.

Kageyama sighs, thinking this over. “Well… I have fun when I get home,” he says, speaking his thoughts as they clarify themselves in his mind. “I get to make whatever I want when I’m at home. It doesn’t have to complete or _for_ anyone, it’s… just for me.”

“And me!” Hinata protests, pinching him through his shirt.

Kageyama throws him a look. “Only because you badger me until I play for you.”

“I think you have a beautiful singing voice.”

Kageyama huffs, half amused. He doesn’t. He can just about hold a note sufficiently, but he won’t rise to Hinata’s bait, not this time. “I don’t know if this sort of job will always be _fun_ …” he continues, grabbing onto the thread of thought from earlier before he was rudely interrupted, “I’m still writing for a client after all. Not every show is going to want music I find interesting. But… it is more enjoyable. And it would be nice to enjoy work more than I do, I guess. Maybe I can ditch the pseudonym.”

Hinata doesn’t reply at first, just trails his hand from Kageyama’s upper arm, along his shoulder and up his neck, before sinking his fingers into his hair. Goosebumps burst along Kageyama’s skin in their wake, and he finds himself almost closing his eyes at the soothing feeling of blunt nails across his scalp.

“Maybe you’ll finally tell me what it is.”

Kageyama squints an eye at him and smirks. “Nice try.”

The fingers in his hair pull lightly in retaliation before they retreat entirely, Hinata looping his arm back around Kageyama’s shoulders and settling himself in close. Kageyama drops his head down to the side, letting it fall on top of Hinata’s in return. The bench is old and worn beneath them, the wood made to curve under the weight of countless people before them, and it makes for a remarkably comfortable seat. Sitting here, in front of a burbling stream as quiet village life plays out before them… it’s pleasant. Wonderfully so, and Kageyama finds himself writing musical bars once again in his head.

“… Hey,” Kageyama says softly, as a thought starts to build in his chest, growing larger and larger until his heart starts to thud. Hinata lets out a little hum to show that he’s listening, and Kageyama swipes his tongue across his bottom lip, suddenly nervous. This is, potentially, a risky question, and he _really_ doesn’t to ruin this moment.

But curiosity burns deeper than nerves.

“Are you… _happy_ with your job?”

“Huh?”

Hinata lifts his head suddenly from where it was pillowed against Kageyama’s shoulders, forcing Kageyama to move his own and look at him. Fortunately, Hinata doesn’t seem to be angry, just rather confused.

“I love my job,” Hinata says, a little baffled frown appearing. “You know I do.”

“Well… yes,” Kageyama admits, and he pats his thighs awkwardly as he tries to work out how to phrase what he means. “It’s just... Okay. So, I love writing music for a job,” he says, trying to explain his point as best he can. “But I’m not _happy_ writing pop music… does that make sense?”

Hinata’s brow knots a little tighter and he raises his eyes to the sky, the gears in his head visibly turning as he processes this. “I… guess so? But we do very different things for a living Kageyama.”

“I know, I _know_ we do. But…” Kageyama scrubs a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself. Why is talking so difficult? He can see his point, he just can’t find the words. “I know you love what you do. But being _happy_ doing it are two different things and I… I guess I just don’t want you to ever hate it,” he says finally, letting his hand drop.

He turns to look at Hinata properly, and is met with an expression he can’t quite decipher, and hurries to clarify. 

“I don’t want you to feel like I do about writing songs. It’s not that you should be constantly trying new things – that’s not what I mean – I just… don’t want you falling out of it love with it. Does that make sense?”

Hinata says nothing, just continues to look at him with that strange expression on his face, before he’s suddenly getting to his feet without a word. Kageyama’s heart falls to his feet at the motion. Great. He’s pissed him off, he’s angry, there’s going to an argument right here in the street-

Then Hinata is standing in front of him and bending down, until he captures Kageyama’s face between his palms and tilts his head up, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“For someone who hates writing song lyrics so much,” Hinata murmurs, his voice warm and so, so affectionate, “you always seem to know the right things to say.”

“Actually,” Kageyama says, eyes wide and unblinking at this unprecedented turn of events, “I think we can both agree I put my foot in it fairly often.”

Hinata snickers, before his giggles bloom into full blown laughter and Kageyama feels the corners of his own lips twitch at the sight, hopelessly smitten.

“True,” Hinata laughs, ducking forward to kiss him properly, “but when it _really_ matters I think you do a pretty good job at making me feel better.”

Before Kageyama can ask more about this, delve into that line of thought any deeper, Hinata plants one last smooch on his cheek and grabs for his hands, grunting with the effort of pulling him to his feet. Kageyama allows himself to be pulled upright, and follows Hinata’s lead in collecting their shopping, leaving the bench and the brook behind them as they continue their stroll along the street.

“So… you do remember how to get back to the farm, right?”

“Uh… sure.”

(Kageyama did not remember how to get back to the farm. Fortunately, there are plenty of locals in the bakery who are more than happy to point them in the right direction.)

* * *

The next morning, Kageyama decides to spring his little surprise.

“I have a present for you.”

Hinata looks up from his eggs – fresh this morning, another gift from Yumie – with big eyes. “Oh?” he says around a mouthful of breakfast.

Kageyama resists the urge to flick away the rogue rice grains sticking to his cheeks. “It’s not that exciting,” he warns, lips twitching when Hinata deflates slightly. “But it _is_ a bit more exciting than a crossword book.”

Said book lies, mostly completed but now rather crumpled where Hinata had twisted the pages tightly between determined fists yesterday, on the sofa, looking rather worse for wear. Kageyama had been waiting for this point, when Hinata would only be left with the answers he just can’t quite get without potentially resulting to Google to help him.

(Hinata probably wouldn’t be opposed to a bit of Googling. But Kageyama does not condone cheating, so he has a back-up plan.)

Without saying another word, and ignoring Hinata’s pleading eyes or curious whining, Kageyama stands up from the table, collects their breakfast plates and dumps them in the kitchen. Then he wanders from the room, very aware of Hinata’s eyes on him like a hawk, until he reaches the bedroom. Unearthing the small package he had tucked away in his bag, he returns, lifting it up in the air to waggle in Hinata’s direction.

“What is it?” Hinata asks before Kageyama can even give it to him, greedy little fingers twitching by his sides.

“Something to keep you occupied,” Kageyama replies, giving into Hinata’s reaching hands and passing him the gift.

Hinata lets out a noise that’s a cross between an excited squawk and a happy coo, and tears at the paper, eyes going big and round when he sees what’s inside.

“It’s a uhh… Nintendo thingy!” he says, flipping the box around in his hands, eyes going shiny.

Kageyama smiles slightly. In moments like this, Hinata is almost unbearably sweet. “It’s not a new one, I know you’re not great at technology,” he says, stepping closer so he can tap the box in Hinata’s hands. Indeed, it’s an older gaming console, one that sort of resembles a flip phone. He’d deliberated buying Hinata something more modern – he _could_ afford it – but he hadn’t been lying; Hinata is extraordinarily awful with technology.

“It comes with some puzzle games, they should be in the box too,” he explains, gesturing for Hinata to open it so he can see for himself.

“More puzzles!” Hinata snorts, still sounding absolutely delighted at his new present. “Why do you keep giving me puzzles?”

“Because you like them,” Kageyama says simply. “Haven’t you noticed?”

Hinata pauses where he’d been examining his new toy – in a bright, eye blinding red – and blinks at him. “I do?”

“Well… you always say that your cases at work are like puzzles, and you enjoy those,” Kageyama explains, fidgeting awkwardly. “And you were getting pretty into your crosswords before it, _ahem_ , got a little tricky.”

Hinata blinks again and looks down at the gaming console in his hands. Kageyama waits impatiently for his response, nerves ticking up.

“… Oh,” Hinata says eventually, his voice soft and wondrous, and he grips the console a little tighter before suddenly crowding into Kageyama’s space, kissing him soundly. “Thank you Tobio,” he says earnestly, voice bright and so very warm, before he dances off to go and investigate his new distraction.

Kageyama watches him go, relief and fondness battering his heart in waves, and he gives Carrot – sitting on the desk in the sunbeams, seemingly waiting for him – a discreet thumbs up and hurries to join her, ready to get to work.

The day passes in relative quiet, aside from the tinny music from Hinata’s new game and the muffled noises from Kageyama’s headphones as he searches for clip upon clip of sound affects to draw inspiration from. Hours slip by, unnoticed by either of them, and Kageyama is so lost in the sounds of a babbling stream in his ears and the tentative beginnings of a melody starting to weave itself in his mind that he is completely and utterly unprepared for the pair of arms looping over his shoulders.

_“Gah!”_

Kageyama shrieks – the noise muffled by his headphones – and starts violently. Jolting in his seat and accidentally smacking his keyboard, sending his programme into a brief disarray, Kageyama almost cracks his head back into whatever has just thudded against him when a hand plucks his headphones from his head.

“Sorry!” Hinata says from behind him, not sounding apologetic in the slightest, “what do you think about this?”

Kageyama takes a moment to wheeze and calm his rabbiting heart rate, feeling Hinata press and settle around his back, a weight digging into the top of his head and as Hinata rests his chin there. The arms return, looping and resting on his shoulders, as Hinata all but drapes himself across Kageyama and lifts something into his line of vision.

Kageyama squints. “It’s the puzzle game,” he states.

An exasperated sigh puffs in his ear. “What do you think about the _puzzle_ , doofus?”

Kageyama squints harder. The screen displays some of problem to solve, and he drags his eyes over two lines of text before he feels his brain throb angrily. There’s _math_ involved in this.

“It looks hard,” he offers, baffled as to why he’s being asked his opinion.

“I don’t _get it,_ ” Hinata whines into his hair. “I thought I got the answer but apparently it’s wrong and I don’t know _why_ -“

“Maybe skip this one?” Kageyama suggests, wondering if he’s being sympathetic enough that Hinata will return to the couch and leave him to write in peace. He had been on a roll.

“What? No!” Hinata protests, as though Kageyama had suggested something absolutely ridiculous instead of something entirely reasonable. “Just- read it. What do you think?”

Kageyama resists the urge to groan. With considerable effort, he refocuses his attention back on the problem presented to him, reading over the tiny lines of text.

“If the camera set is… the camera is three hundred… and the case is the cost of- Hinata, this is incomprehensible.”

“It’s asking how much change you should get if you just buy the case.”

Kageyama’s brain throbs again. “Ninety,” he supplies after a brief tussle of numbers in his head.

“But it’s _not_ ninety! That’s what I got and it was _wrong!_ ”

“Hinata,” Kageyama despairs, “I’m a musician-“

“Yeah, and you work with contracts so you’re good with money and stuff-“

“I’m a _musician_ ,” Kageyama continues, voice louder, “you have a _medical degree_. If you don’t know then I’m _really_ not going to know-“

He’s cut off, both from Hinata’s soft scream of frustration into his hair, and the sound of buzzing from somewhere within the depths of the house.

Hinata lifts his head off of Kageyama’s, scream cutting off, and then strands up straight, removing himself from Kageyama altogether.

Kageyama shares a confused look with him, before a lightbulb goes off in his head. “Is that your phone?”

“Oh!” Hinata all but drops his game into Kageyama’s lap and dashes off to find his still ringing phone.

Carrot looks up from where she’s curled on sofa cushions as he hurries past, blinking sleepily.

Kageyama swivels in his chair, feeling dread starting to curl up in chest when Hinata bustles back into the room, his phone pressed to his ear. There’s something… off in Hinata’s expression. Gone is the playful frustration from not being able to solve a puzzle, only to be replaced by a hard frown. Kageyama flexes his fingers, concern dripping down his spine at the heavy set to Hinata’s mouth. This doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a pleasant conversation.

“Hi Yachi,” Hinata says once the line seems to connect, planting one hand on his hip and pacing up and down the living room’s plush rugs.

Kageyama feels the dread in his chest curl up a little tighter. Yachi. That meant an emergency, if both she and Hinata were following the rules. He has no idea what kind of emergency it could be – considering Hinata is over two hours away from the office – but maybe they need his opinion…?

“Yeah… yeah that’s one. Uh huh. I… I see. The report came back? Alright… alright. And the owners know? Ukai? Mmhmm…”

Kageyama finds himself clambering to his feet, drawn into standing by the snatches of conversation that he can hear. Instead of Hinata rattling off information, or asking his own questions, or dashing off to find whatever medical journals he’d smuggled here with him, like Kageyama had expected him to, he seems to be having a fairly normal conversation.

If, perhaps, a heavy one. There’s weight to Hinata’s voice, and eventually he stops his idle pacing, his back to Kageyama, and the fingers curled over his hip tighten.

“Okay… yes, yes I know. Thank you Yachi. I’ll try. Okay, thank you... sure. Talk to you later.”

Kageyama inches closer as Hinata finishes his call with a deep sigh and tosses his phone onto the sofa cushions next to Carrot, who sniffs it curiously.

“Hinata?” Kageyama asks cautiously. There’s a tenseness in the lines of Hinata’s body that he really doesn’t like the look of.

Hinata turns to look at him, scrubbing his now free hand through his hair, brow twisted up in a knot. “Don’t be mad,” he says when he faces Kageyama properly, some caution starting to creep into his expression.

“Why would I be mad?” Kageyama challenges, suspicion starting to build. Clearly that phone call hadn’t been an emergency, so was Hinata sneaking in work? With Yachi as his accomplice? That’s quite a lot of treachery to deal with in one evening.

“It wasn’t an emergency,” Hinata starts to say, speaking slowly as he chooses his words carefully. He slips his hand down from his hair and rubs it over the back of his neck, eyes glazing over slightly as he stares off into the middle distance, lost in sudden thought. “It was just… one patient I asked to be updated on.”

Kageyama’s steady frown, which had been deepening at the thought of Hinata managing to sneak in more work, evaporates immediately. Hinata’s voice is carefully controlled, the professional stepping in to handle the emotion, keeping it at bay, but Kageyama has known Hinata for long enough now. And he can just about hear that wobble, that slight tremor that suggests, whoever this patient was, is more than just an everyday case.

“It was a kitten from a couple of weeks ago… I don’t think I told you about her. She had some sort of blood clotting problem, I almost asked you if it was okay to use Carrot as a blood donor, but we found someone else in the end,” Hinata starts to explain, his voice still keeping that level, careful tone, but picking up speed now. Words tumbling as whatever is bubbling in Hinata’s head starts to spill forth.

“She was with us for a couple of days, before we transferred her to a big specialist hospital. I just… wanted to know she was doing. She was only a baby. And, well, she didn’t-“

Hinata’s voice becomes choked and high suddenly, before it breaks off, shattering into silence.

Kageyama’s feet are moving before he’s aware of them, hurrying across the floor until he’s gathering Hinata up in his arms, drawing him in close. He feels two hands fist themselves in the back of his shirt, gripping tight, and he tucks Hinata’s head under his chin, winding his arms solidly around him.

“I just. I just wanted to know, because I couldn’t help but think- what if I-“

“You did everything you could,” Kageyama cuts in firmly, halting Hinata’s small, tearful sounding words before they can even get going. “I _know_ you, Shouyou, you probably kept yourself awake for as long as you could coming up with a solution, for every day that she was with you. And if even if there was some other way to have helped her, you don’t have a time machine. You did all you could and sometimes… sometimes things just aren’t meant to be. You can’t punish yourself for things out of your control.”

Hinata is silent for a long moment, his breaths shuddery against Kageyama’s throat where he’s still pressed tight. “It’s why I do all that work when I’m at home, you know,” he says, very quietly, “So I can get better.”

Kageyama considers his next words carefully. Privately, he thinks Hinata spends a little too much time trying to be better. That there is a difference between improvement and driving yourself into the ground in pursuit of an ideal that’s simply unattainable. But right now Hinata is upset, and hurting, and doesn’t need to hear these things.

So he just murmurs, “I know.”

Settles for stroking his hand down Hinata’s back again and again, holding him close until he feels the tight grip on his shirt ease for loose hug instead, until the unsteady breaths puffed out against his neck start to even out.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty incredible,” Kageyama says quietly when he feels like Hinata has calmed down a little. It’s only half a platitude. Hinata does honestly blow him away most days.

Hinata snorts wetly and gives Kageyama one more tight squeeze before pulling back, planting a messy kiss on Kageyama’s jaw, just below his ear.

“Thank you.”

Then he slips his hand into Kageyama’s, holding it tight in his callous worn fingers and pulls, leading him to the bedroom without saying another word. Kageyama lets him, stays silent in their journey, and toes the door shut behind them when they enter. He lets Hinata pull their clothes away slowly, lets him pull them down into bed, and lets him seek the contact and the comfort that he needs.

He can focus on the overworking tomorrow. Tonight, Hinata needs something more than just puzzles, or a quaint country farm, or Kageyama’s words in his ear.

And tonight, Kageyama is all too happy to give that to him.


	4. Cracks

Kageyama is awoken by sunbeams sneaking their way across his face.

He scrunches his nose as the light behind his eyelids grows stronger, unwilling to let the vestiges of sleep leave him so soon, but it seems his body has other ideas. Awareness comes back to him in stages, until he’s all too aware of lying in amongst sun drenched sheets, warm to the point of almost being uncomfortable. Slowly, he opens his eyes, squinting into the brightness of the guest house bedroom.

This morning it seems he has been abandoned by both cat and boyfriend, as neither are in the room with him, but he can’t bring himself to feel too irritable.

There’s sort of lazy satisfaction that’s still seeped deep into his muscles, leaving him feeling languid and content, and as he continues to lie there, feeling himself wake up deliciously slowly, he starts to pick up on the noises coming from deeper within the house.

It seems Hinata is still here, the sounds of his humming and what is possibly the clatter of kitchen utensils echoing down the hall. And, as Kageyama sits himself up slowly and palms the crust away from his eyelids, he can just about smell the beginnings of a freshly cooked breakfast.

Starting to feel decidedly cheery, Kageyama rolls from the bed, staggers around the room picking up whatever clothes he can find throw on at random (he can shower and dress properly later, he’s on holiday) and shuffles down the hall, yawning mightily into his hand.

“Morning sleepyhead!” Hinata calls from the stove when he enters, in the middle of cracking an egg into a pan. “Nice of you to join us.”

Kageyama mumbles back a sleepy morning greeting of his own, and nearly falls flat on his face when his calves bump into something solid and warm.

Carrot mewls happily when he notices her, winding her way around his still sort of bare legs (he’d put on the first pair of shorts he’d found, which he thinks might actually belong to Hinata.) She stares up at him with huge, happy eyes, letting out a little chirrup. He bends down to lift her, smiling when she nuzzles into his hold, her purrs loud and content.

“No run today?” Kageyama asks when he shuffles to Hinata’s side.

His boyfriend seems to have dressed himself in the same manner he had. That is, just grabbing whatever piece of clothing he’d found first and called it a day. Well. Hinata had nabbed whatever piece of Kageyama’s clothing he’d found first, to be more precise.

He’s currently wearing what looks like one of Kagyama’s pyjama shirts, unbuttoned, with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of soft trousers for lounging around the house in (also with the cuffs rolled.) It makes Kageyama smile wider, seeing him so soft and content and homely.

Kageyama is sort of tempted to ask him how he’s feeling. Now that he’s more awake, the events of yesterday evening are starting to replay in his mind. He thinks some of that horrible, oppressive feeling of not doing _enough_ had drained from Hinata last night as he sought comfort and contact, but Kageyama still worries, just a bit.

“Nah, had another idea,” Hinata replies, tipping his fried eggs on top of a massive bowl of rice.

Kageyama starts a little. He’d been so mesmerised staring at Hinata’s ruffled hair – an absolute mess of wild red curls – that he’d almost forgotten that he’d asked a question. “Another idea?” he questions, rearranging Carrot in his arms as she squirms to see what Hinata is making.

“I’m not spending another day sitting on the sofa solving puzzles,” Hinata says pointedly, “even if I like them!” he adds, when Kageyama moves to protest. “I can’t sit still for too long, it gets boring.”

Kageyama inclines his head. He can see that. Hinata is a constant whirlwind of movement most of the time. “What did you have in mind?”

He’s not sure he can spent too much of today romping around in the countryside – he does still have work to do – but if it’ll keep Hinata happy he’s definitely open to suggestions. Looking at him now, sleep rumpled and morning warm, he does look like he’s feeling better. And he’ll do anything if it means keeping him that way. He doesn’t want to hear Hinata’s voice take on that choked, upset tone again for as long as possible.

Hinata’s eyes glitter as he collects the breakfast bowls. “Well we are on a farm.”

Kageyama exchanges a bemused look with Carrot – who then butts her head against his chin – and resolves to mine for more answers once they’ve eaten. His stomach is now rumbling to the point of distraction now there’s freshly cooked eggs under his nose.

* * *

“What did you…” Kageyama starts to say as they leave the guest house, feeling a bit like he’s just been thrown outdoors by a whirlwind.

He doesn’t have time to finish his sentence, because Hinata is immediately dashing across the courtyard in hot pursuit of Kita, who is slowly making his way towards to the barn.

Slightly baffled, and a little alarmed, Kageyama scurries after his wayward boyfriend. He has to stop him before he starts demanding to examine every animal or harass the local goats.

“Kita!” Hinata is calling, just as Kageyama catches up.

Kita turns on the spot, blinking in confusion for a moment before he smiles, gentle and welcoming. “Good mornin’,” he greets politely. He shuffles some sort of equipment Kageyama cannot identify that is hefted over his shoulder. “What I can do ya for?”

“Can we go to the orchard?” Hinata asks unexpectedly.

Kageyama’s mouth forms a little ‘o’. He’d completely forgotten about the apple orchard.

Kita’s smile broadens into a friendly grin. “Sure!” he says, and he points with his free arm towards the barn. “Don’t go too far in, lots of equipment lyin’ around, but there should be some baskets by the door if ya wanna pick some apples. We always have too many to sell, so help yourselves to as many as you’d like!”

Hinata’s eyes go big and shiny. “Thank you!” he chirps, and he makes for the barn, quick on his feet.

Feeling a little dazed, Kageyama inclines his head Kita, whose eyes twinkle back at him merrily, and moves to join Hinata in the barn for his basket hunt.

“I’ve always wanted to pick apples with a floppy straw hat on,” Hinata says when he finds him, buried in a small pile of miscellaneous boxes and baskets.

“Have you?” Kageyama snorts, amused, as Hinata lets out a little noise of triumph and thrusts a woven basket his way, similar in design to the one Yumie dropped eggs off in every morning.

“Well, you know. It’s one of those things that you want to try at least once,” Hinata flashes Kageyama a winning smile, a basket of his own looped over his arm, and he leads the way back out of the barn. “The orchard’s round the back right?”

“Should be…” Kageyama swings his gaze around as they re-emerge back onto the courtyard, before he spots a worn dirt path that sneaks around the side of the barn and across the fields splayed out around them. “That way, I think.”

“At least this time you won’t get us lost if all we just have to head for is some trees,” Hinata comments cheerfully, and gets a pinch on his waist for the cheek.

As expected, the dirt path winds around the side and back of the barn, across the farm’s fields where sheep could be seen grazing in the distance, sloping over the gentle rise and fall of the earth, until it ends at the beginning of a thicket of trees, dense and prosperous in neat, wide rows.

Hinata looks around them with wide eyes, taking in the grove with awe. It’s a lot cooler here, where the sun is almost blocked by the leaves of the trees, scattering dappled light across the floor. Most of the trees look old – large, wizened things with sturdy trunks and massive branches, spiralling in a net of woodwork above their heads. It might not be peak apple picking season yet, but one glance up reveals plenty have ripened already, a bounty of red shiny fruit dangling and ready to be picked.

“Maybe I don’t need the hat,” Hinata quips as he looks around them, apparently deciding where and how to start.

“I didn’t think they’d be so big,” Kageyama agrees, catching Hinata’s elbow as he spots a ladder nestled against a nearby tree trunk. “I always thought apple trees were skinny.”

“So did I. This must be a really old orchard… But either way, this is way more fun,” Hinata decides, scampering over to the indicated ladder and rearranging it until it’s propped up properly against the tree. “Hold onto this.”

Kageyama drops his basket down to the floor and holds the sides of the ladder as requested as Hinata begins his ascent. Privately, Kageyama thinks he would’ve been a little more nervous to be clambering up a several metres high ladder on unstable ground, but it doesn’t seem like Hinata shares that problem. He heaves himself up easily and nimbly, throwing a leg over the nearest branch that’ll hold his weight, scooting along the wood until he’s comfortably seated.

“There’s so many!” Hinata enthuses, and Kageyama tilts his head, trying to see all the apples from his spot on the ground.

He can’t. There’s a few spots of red in amongst all the greenery, but mostly all he can see is the bright whip of Hinata’s hair as he swings his gaze around enthusiastically.

“Actually… here!”

Kageyama has just enough time to register movement before Hinata’s basket is hurtling down towards him. With a grunt, he just manages to grasp it with the tips of his fingers before it crashes to the floor.

“What did you do that for?” he calls up, bewildered, sending a confused glare up at the tree tops.

“I’ll pick the apples and drop them down to you!” Hinata yells back, rearranging himself on his branch perch as he prepares to do just that. “I don’t really fancy trying to get back down the ladder with a basket full of apples.”

Kageyama eyes the ladder, still propped up against the tree trunk, and is inclined to agree.

“Remarkably sensible of you,” he mutters, too low for Hinata to hear, and he holds out a basket in preparation. “Don’t bruise them!” he shouts back up at the tree as he spots Hinata reaching for his first apple. “Don’t just throw them down without looking.”

“Catch then!” Hinata shouts back, tossing an apple down with a flick of his wrist.

Kageyama curses, but he moves the basket just in time to catch the apple safely. Changing tack, he puts the basket back down, readying his hands to catch whatever fruit Hinata throws down at him next. If he lets all the apples land in the basket, they’re going to bruise anyway if they keep bouncing on top of each other.

It quickly becomes a game. Hinata, for all his negligence of keeping the apples unblemished, does at least have decent aim, and he drops each one he picks into Kageyama’s waiting palms, sometimes aiming slightly to the side to force Kageyama to lurch around to catch them. Occasionally he finds a rotten one, or one a bird had gotten to first, and simply lobs those down, not heeding where they land, leaving Kageyama to dodge the fruity missiles.

“Stop!” Kageyama calls up after a few minutes. An apple drops neatly into his palms.

“Huh?” Hinata yells back, craning his neck to look down at him. “Why?”

Kageyama points at the basket by his feet. “Basket’s full!”

“Oh,” Hinata sighs, sounding disappointed. “Fine. Do you want to swap?”

Kageyama eyes the tree branches above him with no small amount of trepidation. It’s not that he’s afraid of heights so much, it’s just they don’t exactly look like the sturdiest things he’s ever seen. Not to mention he’s just. Bigger than Hinata.

“There’s another tree over there!” Hinata suggests, gesticulating wildly from his perch. “Hang on, I’ll get down…”

Before Kageyama can even get the ladder ready, Hinata just takes matters into his own hands – literally. He swings his leg over the branch so that he’s more sitting than straddling it, and then simply shifts his hips forward until he slips off of his seat altogether. Kageyama’s eyes bug out in panic at this reckless display, temporarily frantic, until Hinata catches the branch he was sitting on with his hands, slowing his descent. Swinging slightly, he hangs from the branch for a heartbeat, and then lets go, landing neatly on his feet in front of Kageyama with a grunt.

“Ta da!” he sings out when he stands up, waggling his hands.

Kageyama rolls his eyes, annoyance quickly smothering the brief panic that had flared in his chest. “It won’t be so impressive when you break an ankle,” he mutters, bending to lift their full basket of apples as well as their empty one, following Hinata to the smaller tree he’d pointed out earlier. “Then you really will be sat around at home all day solving puzzles.”

“You’re just a big worrywart,” Hinata teases, grabbing the empty basket and wedging it between two gnarled branches so that they can both toss apples into it easily. He lifts himself up onto a low hanging branch with a grunt – a feat that’s not quite as impressive, seeing as it’s only about four feet off the ground.

“Did you ever manage to solve that camera puzzle?” Kageyama asks innocently, as he finds a good spot to grab some apples for himself. This tree is perhaps a little younger than their previous one – not as tall, or as wizened. The branches are still thick, but many of them are far too thin to hold an adult’s weight. Hinata seems to be sitting on one of the few, so Kageyama contents himself with sticking his feet into the knolls in the trunk and using them as footholds to reach the apples above. At least he has height to his advantage.

There’s a few muffled thuds as Hinata drops apples into the basket before he mumbles out a surly “No.”

Kageyama snickers, but lets the matter drop, content to pick fruit in the afternoon sunshine. He keeps getting distracted at points, as Hinata’s hair, bright orange and eye catching, keeps snatching his attention as it pops into view intermittently, peeking through the branches. Kageyama privately retracts his offer to buy Hinata a floppy sunhat. If they ever do this again, he doesn’t want this view obstructed at all: dappled sun spots dancing over Hinata’s freckled skin and reflecting off of his hair in such a way that it makes the curls shimmer. He looks so devastatingly summery, all warm colours and soft sunshine glow, that Kageyama almost drops several apples to the ground instead of into the basket.

“Are we even going to eat all of these?” Hinata muses once their second basket is full.

“We can probably drop a basket off at the farm house. They can sell what they don’t eat, I guess,” Kageyama suggests, yanking the basket free from the tree branches. He slots it over his arm – it’s heavy, but not unmanageably so – and slips his free hand into Hinata’s.

Hinata twines their fingers immediately, his own basket clasped safely in his other hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever had fruit this fresh,” he comments as they start to stroll back between the trees towards the farm, neither of them in any particular hurry. “It must be so nice to have fresh food so available.”

“Hmmm… maybe we can find a market or something when we get back.”

Hinata snorts. “In the middle of the city? Hey, do you think Kita will let us play with the goats?” he asks, rapidly changing the subject before Kageyama can even address the first question.

“What is it with you and goats?”

“They were my favourite back when I was doing my farming rotations!” Hinata explains.

Twenty minutes later, he’s repeating this exact same line to a very similar question.

Kita, who had asked politely why Hinata was so keen, stands in the farm courtyard with one of the baskets of apples safely in his arms, and blinks in mild confusion.

It hadn’t taken long to find him once they had followed the winding dirt trail from the orchard back to the farm, and as soon as he was in sight, Hinata had hurried over, offered his apples, and asked if he could go and see the goats. Kita had been most perplexed at Hinata’s exuberance.

“Rotations?” Kita repeats, still looking baffled.

“He’s a vet,” Kageyama supplies. Now that they’re laden with food, a couple of the goats in question are starting to edge a little nearer, their noses twitching with the potential promise of fresh fruit.

Kita’s mouth forms a little ‘o’ of understanding and he nods, a smile – albeit a slightly bemused one – returning to his face. “Well, you sure can pet ‘em if ya want, but just know they aren’t always the friendliest. They’re kinda particular.”

Hinata’s face lights up. “Thank you!” he chirps, and he whirls to face Kageyama. “Goats!”

“Lucky you,” Kageyama returns, caught between fond amusement and the rising urge to tease.

Kita bids them farewell – unable to stand around too long neglecting his duties – and immediately after Hinata is all but shoving Kageyama in the direction of the guest house, babbling something about putting the apples away. Kageyama goes with little protest. He doesn’t want to be mobbed by a herd of potentially unfriendly goats all seeking an early lunch.

Carrot chirrups happily when he enters, and he spends an extra ten minutes lavishing her with some attention, not wanting her to feel ignored or abandoned, before trudging back outside, hoping he won’t have to save Hinata from some sort of goat assault.

But, naturally, Hinata is having no trouble at all.

He’s found, or maybe rounded up, three goats in total: two little ones that barely come up to his thighs and a larger one whose head is level with his chest. They’re all white with black and brown splodges, and with thankfully rather small horns, with tufty beards and constantly waggling, floppy ears.

They are sort of cute, Kageyama has to admit, as they gather around Hinata in a little circle, bleating curiously as he pets each of them in turn, babbling happy, cooing nonsense at them.

“They’re so friendly!” Hinata gushes when Kageyama nears, crouching down and rubbing his fingers behind a little goat’s ears, making them flap. He gets a swipe of a tongue across his cheek for his efforts and he giggles, absolutely delighted.

Kageyama lets out a disbelieving hum. Hinata is an anomaly after all – he makes friends with any animal or person exceedingly easily, and so his word cannot be trusted.

Inching closer, Kageyama tries his luck with a smaller goat. Reaching down, he pats its fingers lightly over its back, and has just enough time to marvel how smooth and silky its coat is before the goat’s head is whipping around to face him.

 _Those are weird pupils_ , Kageyama thinks, before the goat head butts him squarely in the kneecaps.

“Ow!” Kageyama darts back, cursing, and he shoots his assailant a glare, rubbing his smarting knee.

The goat bleats back at him, before turning its attentions back to Hinata.

“Maybe the bigger one? The bigger guys always seem to be gentler,” Hinata suggests, though his voice is wobbling slightly with amusement, and he wraps one arm around each of the little goats, giving them the attention they’re clamouring for.

“Uhhh…” Kageyama all but tiptoes up to the larger goat, and waves a hand tentatively when it turns its eyes towards him, ears flicking. “Hi.”

The goat snorts, tossing its head, and then turns to face him fully, before rearing its neck, getting ready to strike.

“Nope!” Kageyama abandons the effort, scarpering out of the way before he can have his ribs cracked by a violent farm animal.

He’s not quite fast enough, however, and a solid weight thunks into his back.

Stumbling with a yelp, he just about remains upright, feet sliding over the hay strewn cobblestones, and he whirls to give his attacker a furious glare.

“I’m leaving?” he questions the goat, who he swears is glaring back at him, “look, here I am, leaving right now.”

“It’s a sign of affection!” Hinata calls in between fits of laughter as Kageyama stalks his way across the courtyard, seeking refuge with the little gaggle of ducks hanging off to side, watching the commotion curiously. They look a lot friendlier, in his opinion.

“I think he’s lying to me,” Kageyama tells a duck conspiratorially as he sits on a nearby hay bale.

The duck quacks softly at him, presumably in agreement.

* * *

Once Hinata’s goat cuddling urges have been sated (and Kageyama is safe from any more surprise attacks), they return to the house, where Kageyama eases into his chair by the desk to start work with relief.

Not that he didn’t have fun, but it’ll be nice to get started on his music. He has plenty of images in his head now to make inspiration spring forth, and he’s eager to make some real progress.

For hours he is engrossed. Hinata shuffles a sliced apple towards him at one point, but otherwise Kageyama doesn’t really note the passage of time, except for being vaguely aware of Carrot shifting across the desk, chasing the sunbeams as the sun inches across the sky. He can’t remember the last time music enthralled him this much. Or the last time it was this fun, when it wasn’t just for himself.

He’s just stretching out his muscles, having finished writing one sample and debating starting another, when a hand settles gently on his shoulder.

Kageyama shoves off his headphones and peers up at Hinata, who beams down at him.

“I solved the camera puzzle!” Hinata tells him, and there’s a slightly manic glint to his eye.

“Congratulations,” Kageyama says dryly.

Hinata thunks him on the head with the games console that’s still in his hand. “And I made dinner,” he adds, almost nonchalantly.

“Oh?” Kageyama twists in his seat, suddenly far more interested. It doesn’t have a very strong smell, not from where he’s sitting at least, so maybe it’s a salad of some kind. Hinata does have more fruit than he knows what to do with after all.

“You know,” Hinata says later, when they’re halfway through dinner, “it’s nice to watch you when you're so into your writing.”

“I write at home too,” Kageyama points out, slightly confused. He shoves another forkful of food into his mouth.

“Yeah but not with all that… stuff,” Hinata clarifies, waving his hand at Kageyama’s makeshift work station. “You just scribble things down on paper and come up with all these songs on your guitar at home. This is your work-work.”

“My _work-work,_ ” Kageyama snorts into his glass of wine.

Hinata kicks him lightly under the table. “You’ve seen _me_ at work,” he points out, pushing his leftover food around his plate. “It’s just nice seeing what you actually do, that’s all.”

Kageyama finishes his wine slowly, warmed by this. “It would be nice,” he admits, “to do this instead of writing pop songs every day.”

“Do you want to? Do this full time?”

Kageyama considers this, rolling dregs of wine around his glass. “I think so,” he says. The more he thinks about it, the more he’s sure he does, but it feels too good to be true to say it out loud. He doesn’t want to get ahead of himself – Akane hasn’t officially offered him a job yet, after all.

“It might be unstable though,” he adds, with a little frown. “I don’t know the clientele nearly as well, or this side of the industry. These songs are just samples.”

“Well,” Hinata says, as he stands and moves to collect their plates. “If it makes you happier I think you should definitely try. And I’m here now, so you don’t have to worry about the bills as much as before if there’s a gap between work.”

Kageyama gapes up at him, wordless. He’s been independent for so long, that even though he and Hinata have been together for a while now, it still feels strange sometimes. Knowing that they are technically a team.

He stands as well, taking the crockery from Hinata in a decisive motion – Hinata cooked, so the least Kageyama can do is the cleaning up afterwards – and presses a kiss to his hairline.

Hinata hums happily.

* * *

Perhaps, in hindsight, today being as almost perfect as it had been should’ve served as a warning.

Kageyama is so wrapped up in his bubble of contentment, that even as he shuts down his laptop and equipment for the night, he doesn’t notice what’s going on behind him. He stretches in his chair as his laptop chimes, shutting down. Then he tidies his materials and stands, meandering in the direction of the bedroom with no real hurry, yawning into his hand.

Carrot is sprawled across the bed spread when he enters, fast asleep and the picture of bliss in her new duvet mountain heaven. He hopes the farmers won’t mind the abundance of cat hair they’re sure to leave behind on the sheets. Kageyama smiles at her gentle, whisper soft snores, and quietly lifts his guitar case from where it’s propped up against the wall, careful not to disturb her.

The perfect way to send off what has been a blissful day, he thinks, is to wind down with his guitar. Strum his happiness into musical notes as Hinata inevitably throws his feet into his lap and demands to be serenaded. Kageyama’s fingers twitch over his guitar case’s handle as the image plays out in his mind: the peace of the guest house, the lack of noise from outside, Carrot eventually coming to join them curled up on the sofa… before they eventually tumble into bed, signalling the end of what’s been a wonderful day.

Kageyama spots Hinata’s hair poking over the back of the sofa when he re-enters the living room, but he can’t hear the tinkling noises of his puzzle game. Maybe Hinata’s returned back to the crossword book, or silenced the game perhaps to concentrate. Either way, Kageyama should probably check he’s not _too_ engrossed in something, or else he might take out his frustration on him if he gets stuck again… Kageyama doesn’t want to look at any more numbers.

Running his free hand through Hinata’s hair when he gets close, Kageyama peers over his shoulder to see what he’s working on, and almost drops his guitar case.

“Hey,” Hinata says without looking up, his voice muffled around a pen as he focuses on the papers spread out on his lap. “You all done for the day?”

Kageyama mouth opens and closes several times incredulously without a single word coming out. His fingers leave soft ginger curls swiftly, before he starts to pull at the strands without meaning to. Hinata registers the absence, popping his pen out of his mouth and looking up at him, head cocked in question.

“What’s this?” Kageyama asks – demands – waving his hand down at the papers on Hinata’s knees and doing his very best to keep his voice low.

“Medical papers,” Hinata replies, almost tersely, a line of steel in his words. He doesn’t drop his gaze, but some of the earlier warmth cools immediately.

Warning bells ring in Kageyama’s head; he ignores them.

“You’re not supposed to be working this week, remember?” he says, speaking slowly to wrestle some control into his voice. He can feel his hand shaking where it grips his guitar case.

Hinata does drop his gaze this time, turning his focus back to his papers. Now that Kageyama’s paying more attention, he can see a notebook too, set just off to the side, lines of scribbles across the page as Hinata makes notes. He thinks back to yesterday, about the phone call from Yachi, and wonders whether these are papers based on that case, or perhaps another, or something else Hinata is quietly obsessing over. But he has no way of telling; the papers are incomprehensible to him.

“I’ve been relaxing all day,” Hinata says sternly. “It’s fine to do some work if I want to. You can still play, you know, you won’t distract me.”

Kageyama can’t tell whether that’s a platitude or a threat, and he feels his frustration start to bubble up into anger. How many times does he need to say Hinata shouldn’t be focusing on work right now?

“This is a holiday,” he grits out. The grip on his guitar case is so tight that his fingers ache.

“And yet, you’ve spent most of today working,” Hinata shoots back without hesitation. The pen in his hand shakes. “And _don’t_ say that’s the whole point of being here-“

“But it is!” Kageyama bursts out, his temper well and truly fraying. He drops his guitar case to the ground before he can throw it, and the sound makes Hinata jump. “It _is_ the whole point Hinata! I’m here to do some work and enjoy the week and you’re here to have a break! Why is this so _hard_ to understand?”

If Kageyama were calm, and seeing this unfold with a level head, he would know this is the point where he should stop. To take a breath, to calm down, to approach this differently. But Kageyama is not calm. His worry and impatience have worn him thin, and control slips from him like oil on water.

“Why do you have to insist on running yourself into the ground at every opportunity? Do you think you’re really going to get any better if you’re exhausted all the damn time?”

Hinata’s eyes flash, a spark of fury, and then he’s throwing his papers to the side, a flurry of pages whipping around him as they scatter. Within a blink he’s upright, crowding into Kageyama’s space, anger twisting his features up tight, venom in his words.

“You’re being a hypocrite! If you can work and enjoy yourself at the same time then so can I! I _like_ working! You might not like what you have to do every day but I do! And I want to get better at it! You’re really going to stand there, working on your career, and stop me from doing the same thing? How is that fair?”

“You’re not _listening!”_ Kageyama shouts back, his voice climbing higher along with his temper. He’s never had the best control over it and he hates how Hinata inadvertently knows just how to _push_ sometimes. “I’ve never stopped you from trying to get better, but you never know when to stop! I work hard but I don’t burn myself out! Look!” He bends to lift his guitar case again, shaking it vigorously. “Working all day, right? And yet here I am, taking a break because I know _when to stop.”_

“But it’s still music!” Hinata spits out. His cheeks have become incredibly red. “How is what I want to do any different? I finish work and I want to read something I find interesting and useful, and that’s just _the worst_ , but you can play music from dawn to dusk and that’s just fine? Now who’s not listening?”

 _“Still you!”_ Kageyama roars, throwing his guitar case onto the sofa and dragging his fingers through his hair as he fights for patience. His heart is ringing in his ears, his words sounding muffled even to him as anger fogs his brain. “This isn’t just reading for leisure, you’re doing it because you’re obsessing over getting better!”

“I’m not _obsessing-“_

“Yes! You are! Obsessing!” Kageyama cuts off the interruption before it can even begin. “You’re not winding down, you’re winding yourself up! It’s all work, and you never take a take a break-“

“It’s to improve! Why can’t you understand that?”

“Because you’re being reckless! You can’t work sixteen hours a day every day Hinata!” Kageyama snaps. “You’ve got no sense of self preservation and I when I try to point this out to you you just freak out! Why do you have to be so stubborn-“

“I’m _not_ being stubborn!” Hinata shouts, and Kageyama raises a disbelieving eyebrow.

It’s the wrong move. It seems to be thing that tips Hinata over the edge, and he grabs at whatever papers that are close by, snatches up his notebook and his pen, and storms past Kageyama, shoulder bumping into his side roughly.

“Well if I’m stubborn then so are you!” Hinata spits, storming away towards the hallway. “If you’re just going stand there and insist you’re right without listening to anything I’ve got to say then I’ll go somewhere else! Doing what I like, because I’m an adult!”

“You’re not being a very mature one!” Kageyama bellows after him, anger and frustration boiling hot within him, taking away his rationale, leaving only poisonous and mean words behind.

The sound of the bedroom door slamming is resonating and final.

Kageyama stands there for a long moment, so angry that he’s shaking, chest stuttering with the effort to even breathe, as the sudden silence that follows Hinata’s absence makes his ears ring.

And then, as the adrenaline starts to fade, as his heart rate slowly drops back down to normal, he’s left with nothing but a complicated tumble of leftover fury and shame roiling around in his gut.

He’s right. He _knows_ he’s right. Hinata’s methods are not healthy, and all he’s trying to do is help him, because he’s _worried_ , and at every turn Hinata throws it in his face.

But… Kageyama stares at the floor, where his guitar case has been left, tipped onto its side from where he’d dropped it, and he curls his hands into trembling fists, nails digging into sweaty palms. He hasn’t lost his temper like that in a long, long time. And he’s _never_ gotten so angry at Hinata he’s felt the need to shout like that, no matter how riled up he’d been in the past.

He’s torn. Torn between the anger that burns through him at being correct and shunned, and the slow, horrifying realisation that he’d just had a screaming match with his boyfriend while on holiday. In fact, if they weren’t away right now, with only one route home, he wonders whether they would even be in the same building.

Kageyama uncurls his fists and drags his hands down his face, heaving in two long, shuddering breaths. Part of him wants to slope to the bedroom door, knock and apologise and smooth things over before Hinata thinks of him as a brute with a monstrous temper. But the longer he stands there, the more that part of him shrinks.

Because he’s still so _angry_. Angry that Hinata doesn’t listen, doesn’t seem to care that he’s worried. Angry at himself because he lost his temper so badly. Kageyama doesn’t even know if he can force out an apology while he’s still stewing like this.

So he turns, stiffly, and tries anything he can to wind down.

He drinks two cups of tea. One cold, the second lukewarm, both chilled from how long he sits there staring at the steam coiling off of them.

He goes for a short walk around the courtyard outside, uncaring if the farmers think him strange for wandering around in the middle of the night. Kita said the walls of the guest house were thick, but they probably heard them yelling anyway.

He opens his guitar case and closes it almost immediately. The only music that comes to him when he feels like this is no music he wants to hear.

Until, eventually, as the night ticks on, it becomes clear that Hinata is not emerging from the bedroom, and Kageyama is certainly not going to be the one to apologise first. He feels shameful, absolutely wretched, at how he had handled the situation, but the fact that he was right just will not release him. He’s sorry, but also he’s not sorry.

So he scrounges a blanket from one of the cupboards, shucks his jeans, and pretends that sleeping in his shirt and pants and socks will be suitable. He flings himself onto the sofa, only just about long enough to accommodate him, and rolls and turns and fidgets until he’s cramped up in a way that’s semi acceptable.

It’s a long time before he realises that Carrot was in the bedroom when they were arguing, and that means she is certainly still there. Not that it matters. Hinata is her favourite anyway. She’d sleep with him even if they weren’t arguing.

And it’s even longer before Kageyama, feeling decidedly cold and furiously lonely, even under the blanket, finally falls into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Kageyama wakes the next morning to a soft snuffling in his ear.

“Oh,” he mumbles into the sofa cushions, as awareness hits him with an uncomfortable thud. “You’ve come back. Traitor.”

Carrot rubs her face against his earlobe, her purrs vibrating through his cheek.

Now that he’s awake – more aware than he normally is first thing – Kageyama is all too conscious of the aches that litter him. Sleeping on the sofa, no how comfortable it might be to sit on, is not recommended for someone of his height, and his muscles protest audibly as he stretches, limbs hanging off of the edges. Blinking his eyes open, he squints around the room – barely lit, the pale beams of sunshine only just starting to shine in through the windows. Early then. Very early.

Yawning, he tilts his chin back and stares blearily up at Carrot – who’s balancing on the sofa arm by his head and blinking down at him adoringly. If she’s here that means Hinata’s either let her out before falling back into bed, or…

There’s a muffled cluttering from the kitchen area.

… He’s also gotten up.

Sitting up, the blanket that had only just about been covering him slipping off fully onto the floor, Kageyama turns his reluctant gaze over to his boyfriend, who seems to be in the middle of making tea as quietly as he can.

Hinata flicks his eyes over to him as Kageyama sits up. “Did I wake you?”

His voice is quiet, but terse. Even if he is apologetic, he doesn’t sound very sorry.

“No,” Kageyama grunts, his voice scratchy. “Carrot did.”

Hinata hums, noncommittal, and doesn’t say anything else.

Despite the early morning sunshine rapidly brightening and warming the room, Kageyama has never felt colder, the atmosphere chilly and oppressive. Even after a night’s sleep – albeit a patchy one – he still feels petulant and frustrated. He still sort of wants to apologise for yelling, but he finds himself wanting his points to be acknowledged more.

Hinata finishes making his tea, gathers his cup, and leaves the room without another word.

Kageyama glares daggers up at the ceiling as goes, his mood souring immediately. Clearly Hinata is still angry as well.

Carrot meows plaintively then, peering up at him with hopeful eyes, and Kageyama sighs deeply, standing up with a grunt and lifting her into his arms.

“You’re supposed to be _my_ cat,” he mumbles, surly, into her fur. “And that means you take my side.”

Carrot kneads her little paws against his chest and Kageyama sighs again – a little puff of air that ruffles her fur. She’s buttering him up, keen for breakfast and attention, but at this point, he’s more than happy to fall for her charms.

The morning continues to be frosty.

They take it turns to use the shower. They dress in the bedroom separately. Hinata forgoes cooking breakfast, swiping up one of the apples they’d picked to crunch. Kageyama forgoes eating altogether, his stomach too nauseous for it, and opts to drink more tea instead. Neither of them exchange a single word, both sullen and moody.

Kageyama is vaguely aware that they’re both being stubborn at this stage. That at some point, one of them is going to have to swallow their pride and address the issue first. But he’s so determined for that person not to be him that he doesn’t much care for the elephant in the room. He sets up his music station in silence, resolving to tackle some of the more emotional, charged scenes from the vague outline Akane had given him. Channel his frustration into something productive.

With his headphones on, the world around him is muffled, and it’s almost easy for Kageyama to ignore Hinata’s presence entirely. He could be working again, or he could not. Kageyama can’t bring himself to care at this stage.

Carrot leaps up onto the desk to join him, flopping over into her usual sunbeam, and Kageyama spares her the tiniest of smiles as he gets to work.

And it’s Carrot that alerts him when Hinata leaves the house.

She starts suddenly, lifting her head and whirling to look out of the window, tail thumping the desk madly. Kageyama raises his eyes – his attention caught by her movement – and follows her gaze, just in time to see Hinata jogging his way across the courtyard. Out for a run. Maybe he’ll cool down by the time he comes back.

Turning his attention back to his laptop screen, Kageyama runs his fingers over Carrot’s side to soothe her, and gets back to work.

And tries not to glance at the digital clock in the corner of the screen, attempting to ignore how long Hinata is gone.

Forty minutes later, Hinata heralds his return with a slam of the door.

Kageyama doesn’t look up, even though the sound reaches him through his headphones. Carrot jerks in her spot in the sunbeams beside him, her ears flat to her head at the noise. Normally, Kageyama would think about scolding Hinata for hurting her ears, but right now anger still burns strong through his veins, and, from the muffled sounds of stomping, it seems the same goes for Hinata.

Apparently, going for a run has done nothing more for Hinata’s mood than writing out these musical scenes has done for Kageyama’s.

Carrot sits up in her spot and stretches, her sleepy eyes tracking Hinata as he makes his way around the house, doing whatever he is that he’s doing outside Kageyama’s field of vision. Whatever. Once Hinata has cooled off ( _if_ he cools off) then he can come to Kageyama to talk if he wants. But Kageyama is not going to chase him around if he all he has to deal with a snappy brick wall-

His mental rant is sharply cut off by more banging. He ignores it at first, figuring it to be Hinata slamming around, but then Carrot is suddenly standing upright, her eyes wide and tail twitching up high. One glance out of the window that looks out at the courtyard and she’s off, jumping down from the desk and scampering out of the room towards the bedroom as fast as her paws will carry her.

Bewildered, Kageyama sits up from his hunch in front of his laptop, pushing his headphones down from his ears. No matter how noisy Hinata is being, it’s not like her to just run away like that. Turning around slightly in his chair, Kageyama sweeps his gaze over the room, trying to find Hinata – and possibly the source of the noise – only to find his boyfriend in the kitchen, halfway between drinking a glass of water and looking just as confused as Kageyama feels.

The bangs sound again and, abruptly, Kageyama realises that it’s the front door – it sounds like someone is banging their fist against the wood.

“Who on earth…” Hinata mutters, placing his glass down on the counter and hurrying to the door, his brow knotted in his bafflement. Kageyama stands from his chair to follow suit, trepidation starting to drip down his spine.

Had they been too loud last night maybe? Were the farmers mad?

Hinata opens the door to a very harried looking Kita, whose hair is a mess, like he’s been dragging his fingers through it constantly, and there are the beginnings of dark smudges starting to stain the bottom of his eyelids.

“Kita?” Hinata questions, worry seeping into his voice alongside the confusion.

“Sorry,” Kita blurts out, before he scrubs his fingers through his hair again, sending it into further disarray.

Without waiting for any further explanation, Hinata stands aside and motions for Kita to enter. As Kita does so, his head bowed in thanks when his words fail him, Hinata exchanges a look with Kageyama over the farmer’s shoulder, like he’s seeking answers.

Kageyama shrugs helplessly, just as lost as Hinata is, and turns in place, wondering where he’d last put his phone. Whatever the problem is, it looks to be urgent.

“Sorry to disturb you,” Kita says once he’s further inside, though he makes no move to close the front door behind him. “But…” he pauses momentarily to take in a breath, collecting himself, before he turns to Hinata, a sliver of his usual calm appearing at the edges. “If I ain’t mistaken, you said you’re a vet?”

Hinata blinks, surprised. “I am,” he confirms, and he lays a comforting hand on Kita’s shoulder. “Has something happened?”

Kageyama hovers, eyes flitting between them. _Has_ something happened? This seems like such a peaceful farm, what sort of emergency could have befallen one of the farm animals?

And then his eyes blow wide as it occurs to him.

“It’s Lemon,” Kita says, and he looks torn between trying to remain composed and giving in to his panic. “She went into labour real early this mornin’ and everything was lookin’ great at first but we’re having problems. I know you’re on holiday and I’m so sorry to impose, it’s just our usual vet is at least forty minutes away by car and-“

“It’s okay!” Hinata grasps Kita’s other shoulder as well and gives them both a squeeze. “I’ll come and have a look at her.”

“Really?” Kita sags a little in relief, though his body still remains tense, taught with worry.

“Of course,” Hinata soothes, voice butter warm. “Just give me a minute to wash up. Have you called your normal vet? Just to let them know in case we need more supplies or she needs to go in?”

“I’ll get Granny to phone them now,” Kita sighs, his voice shuddering before gaining its usual strength. “I really am sorry to drag you into this. It’s just this our first labour we’ve ever had problems with and-“

“It’s _okay!”_ Hinata says again, giving Kita’s upper arms a reassuring pat before breaking away. “I’ll be right there, I promise. I’m just going to wash up and get some things ready and I’ll be there. Ten minutes okay? Call your vet and let them know what’s going on, just so they can get things ready if we really do have an emergency on our hands.”

Kita nods, both in understanding and to seemingly gather himself. “Thank you,” he says, voice soaked in gratitude, before he’s hurrying back out of the door.

As soon as the door swings shut, Hinata is in motion, dashing from the living room and down the hall at almost a run, heading straight for the bathroom.

Kageyama finds himself standing still in his wake, mind whirling at the sudden deluge of information. Lemon is in labour. Lemon is having her puppies and there’s a problem. Is that common? What’s Hinata going to do out here on a farm with no medical supplies to back him up?

The sound of rushing water hits his ears. Not from the shower, so perhaps the taps. Hinata washing his hands, most likely.

Kageyama flexes his own hands in and out of awkward fists. What should he do? Not ten minutes ago, Hinata was furious with him. He might still be furious with him. Maybe Hinata just wants him to stay out of the way, let him do his job. But the more Kageyama thinks about it, his brain tumbling over and over with thoughts, the scenarios of what could happen, the more he finds the idea of staying behind as Hinata rushes to help abhorrent.

His feet are moving before he can register it, and within moments he’s outside the bathroom door.

“What can I do?”

Hinata flicks his eyes up to him, dabbing his hands dry with paper towel instead of the fabric ones hanging up on the wall.

“Wash your hands,” he says, calm and in command, but not bossy. Simply taking control of the situation. “Wash them really well, for at least two minutes. Then I need every clean towel we have in here, or blankets, anything like that. And if you can find anything that gives off heat, like a hot water bottle, that’d be amazing.”

Kageyama swallows roughly and nods, switching places with Hinata at the sink.

Over the sound of rushing water and the squelch of hands, drenched in soap, he can hear Hinata dashing to and fro, and twice he spots him with a journal in his hands, or looking at something on his phone. Reading up, perhaps, or just preparing, he isn’t sure. Has Hinata handled something like before? He must’ve done, at some point, but Kageyama can’t remember any stories.

Is it as bad as Kita made it sound? Common, rare? What happens if they need to travel to the clinic that’s over thirty minutes away?

Questions and scenarios swirl around in Kageyama’s mind, and he finds himself washing his hands over and over and over until the pads of his fingers start to wrinkle.

The sensation jolts him back to reality and he shakes the last of the suds free, drying his hands on paper towel as Hinata had done. He tries to busy himself with scouring the bathroom for every clean towel he can find, using the task to quieten his mind, but it doesn’t help much. He’s only tagging along to help and already his hands are starting to tremble at the thought of all the things that can possibly go wrong.

How does Hinata _do_ this every day?

“Hey, I found some blankets. You got all the towels?”

Kageyama starts so badly at the sound of Hinata’s voice in doorway he nearly drops the towels all over the floor.

Hinata looks mildly surprised when Kageyama turns to face him, but then it’s gone in a blink, a warm, patient smile taking its place. Suddenly, Kageyama feels like he’s in the consultation room with Carrot for a check-up all over again. That smile, something he hasn’t seen in _hours_ , is a much needed balm to his shattered nerves. He hadn’t quite realised how much he was missing it.

“It’s going to be fine,” Hinata says, with soothing confidence. “And you’ve never seen puppies this young before right? You wanted to see them before left, now you can!”

“But Kita said there’s a problem,” Kageyama points out before he stop himself.

“Well,” Hinata says, stepping forward and gently placing the blankets he’d found into Kageyama’s arms on top of the towels. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To help them on their way.”

Kageyama frowns down at his mountain of makeshift puppy bedding, pursing his lips. If Hinata can sound so calm, then perhaps he can be calm too. Nothing ever got solved while panicking after all.

“Come on,” Hinata encourages, jerking his head in the direction of the doorway. “Let’s go deliver some puppies.”


	5. Parturition

“Alright, talk me through what’s happened.”

Hinata’s voice – calm and business-like – floats slowly into Kageyama’s ears, almost sounding muffled.

Kita had opened the door to the farmhouse within seconds of Hinata rapping his knuckles against it, and they had been ushered into what would normally be a cosy family room, if it weren’t for the mess and the large distraction in the centre.

Lemon lies in the middle of what appears to be an enormous box, easily four times her size, littered with newspaper and blankets and towels. Kageyama isn’t sure what he had been expecting, exactly, but it hadn’t been her panting, borderline frantic face, panting harshly, the whites of her eyes clearly visible around the brown of her irises.

At first, all Kageyama notices is Lemon, but then a sound – _several_ sounds – tiny and squeaking, break through the fog that had settled between his ears.

Nestled up against Lemon’s side are several blobs, tiny and pale yellow, slick with a wetness he does not want to identify, wriggling and muffling their cries against their mother’s side.

New born puppies.

“The last one was an hour ago,” Kita says, his voice cutting through the air as Kageyama finds himself staring in muted awe at the tiny animals. “But we’re pretty sure she’s still having contractions.”

“Alright. Do you have any supplies here on the farm?”

Kageyama jolts to attention, wondering whether this is the part where he should offer some of the mound of towels he’s holding in his arms. He watches, feeling very lost and very out of place, as Kita nods and moves to bring over a large plastic box, filled with shelves and compartments. It reminds him of the visit box Hinata had brought with him when he came to see Carrot all those months ago.

As Hinata rummages around inside, Kageyama shifts from foot to foot, feeling antsy with the lack of anything to do. His eyes start to roam, as he feels too fidgety to simply watch Hinata, and he looks from Lemon to the puppies to the box they’re in and all around the room, trying to find some focus.

His gaze lands on Yumie, who’s sitting just off to the side and currently the closest person to him, keeping herself in Lemon’s line of sight. She meets his eye and offers him a smile, despite the worry that creases her features.

“We’ve had plenty of problems with the farm animals before,” she tells him, her voice remarkably calm despite the concern that deepens the lines of her wizened face. “And so we keep a well-stocked box of supplies for the vet whenever he comes down to visit us.” She waves a hand at the box that Hinata is still rummaging in, drawing out items that he needs. “But I do hope we have everything. We’ve never had a problem with one of our dogs before… we haven’t had many litters, but they’ve all gone smoothly…”

“Don’t worry,” Kageyama blurts out, speaking without really thinking. “Hinata’s very good. I’m sure he can help.” He swallows roughly. “He will definitely help,” he amends.

He might not feel confident right now, but the one thing he does feel confidence in is Hinata’s ability.

Yumie smiles again, this one a little warmer, and she nods her head in gratitude, before turning her attention back to Lemon.

There’s a snap of latex, and Kageyama glances up to see Hinata pulling on a pair of gloves, a stethoscope now looped around his neck.

Hinata kneels besides Lemon and dips his fingers in what appears to be lubrication gel. “Sorry sweetheart,” he says soothingly to Lemon, running his left hand along her heaving side before reaching with his right to examine her.

“Well…” he says, after a moment’s concentration. He shifts, pressing deeper. His brow knits. “There’s definitely one more puppy.”

“Is it stuck?” Kageyama finds himself asking, before he can stop himself.

“Hard to tell…” Hinata says, mostly to himself, “but if it’s been this long with the puppy engaged… Kita can I see what you have in that cool box?”

Kita opens the plastic box again as Hinata pulls off his soiled glove, peering inside.

“I’m going to boil the kettle… in case we need hot water,” Yumie decides, getting gracefully to her feet and patting Kageyama on the arm as she passes.

Kageyama gnaws at his lip and bends slowly to rest his pile of towels on the floor, hoping he might feel more prepared to help if Hinata called for him if he has free hands. He watches as Hinata fiddles with a bottle of something, sticking a needle and syringe into the bung at the top and drawing some of the liquid out. Some kind of medicine, he supposes.

“Will that help?” Kita asks, voicing Kageyama’s question as Hinata administers the injection swiftly. Lemon doesn’t even seem to notice.

“It helps with contractions,” Hinata explains. “You’re lucky you have some of that on the farm! Normally I’d like to take a blood test first… test her calcium levels… but we can work with this.”

“We do like to be prepared,” Kita says, smiling weakly. It falls off of his face as quickly as it was summoned. "What now?”

“We wait,” Hinata says, simply and professionally. He looks at the clock on the wall, noting the time. “If she doesn’t do anything with that injection on board we’ll have to take her in. You did call the surgery right?”

Kita nods his confirmation, and out of the corner of his eye, Kageyama spots Yumie copy the action from the doorway, wringing her hands in worry.

The room falls into silence – aside from Lemon’s harsh panting and the muffled squeal of her puppies – as they all watch her, eagle eyed for any signs of the medication taking effect. Kageyama finds himself running his palms over his clothing, nervous sweat making them feel clammy and cold, as he switches between looking at Lemon and Hinata.

Hinata simply stands, arms folded, as he watches his new patient, occasionally flicking his eyes over to the clock. And as time trickles by, the frown on his face – one of concentration – deepens and morphs, until he starts to look worried.

“Can’t you give her more of that stuff?” Kageyama finds himself asking, unable to bear the silence and the grim expression on Hinata’s face any longer.

“Not ideally…” Hinata murmurs, before he turns his gaze back to the clock, muttering under his breath, running a frantic hand through his hair.

Kita hovers, clearly ready to move, anticipating the call for them to get moving to the car.

Kageyama’s eyes flick between everyone in the room, to Lemon, the puppies, the damn clock, before zeroing back on Hinata. “Hinata…?” he prompts, feeling his muscles start to stiffen with nerves and anticipation. What do they do?

Hinata clucks his tongue, the gears in his head visibly spinning, as he scratches his fingers through his hair irritably. Finally, he drops his hand, opening his mouth to issue an instruction when a new noise pierces the air and he pauses, eyes sharpening.

With a grunt, Lemon shifts, dislodging her puppies from her belly as she gets up, spins in a circle, and flops back down onto her side again, narrowly missing her litter.

“Hinata?” Kageyama tries again, only to receive a lifted index finger in reply.

_Wait._

Lemon licks her lips before starting to pant again, and then her side sort of _ripples._

“There we go!” Hinata cheers, relief evident on his face. “No, don’t crowd in just yet,” he adds when Kita goes to move towards her. “We don’t want to stress her out or have her using any more energy than is necessary right now.”

Kita gives a stiff nod to show his understanding, focusing on murmuring soft words on encouragement to Lemon instead, who responds with another heave, the muscles in her sides visibly moving.

“Are those contractions?” Kageyama asks, boggled. He didn’t think they’d be so… visible.

“Yep,” Hinata confirms, some of his smile giving way to concentration again as he watches her. “She’s actively pushing now, which is what I was hoping for. I don’t have an ultrasound here of course, so I’m a little in the dark, but if the pup is already in the birth canal then we should be okay-“

He cuts himself off as Lemon audibly whines, the muscles in her sides straining.

Kageyama’s eyes widen as _something_ emerges from Lemon’s rear, tumbling onto the cushion of newspaper and towels. He can’t even tell if it’s a puppy, such is the amount of fluid – a distressing shade of dark green – and what looks like some kind of membrane. His stomach flips unpleasantly. Is this normal?

Lemon turns her head instantly, blocking Kageyama’s line of sight as she noses at what is supposed to be her new born.

With a growing feeling of dread, Kageyama turns to look at Hinata, and feels an immediate wave of relief when he finds him smiling. “Is that normal?” he croaks.

“Yeah,” Hinata laughs. “Pretty gross isn’t it? She’ll pull him free of all that gunk, don’t worry.”

Letting out a noise of mild disgust before he can help himself, Kageyama turns back just in time to see Lemon do exactly that – nosing and licking until, abruptly, she snorts, and turns her head away in a wide arc. Kita coos at her when she turns to face in his direction again, starting to pant harshly once more.

Kageyama watches, heart in throat, as the puppy tumbles from its membrane and onto the blankets. It should be gross, the mucous and the smells, but somehow it isn’t at all. The tiny creature doesn’t move, doesn’t squeal cutely or wiggle like its siblings. It’s soaked and limp, but to Kageyama it’s the most precious thing he’s ever seen.

Lemon sniffs at her new born, soft muzzle tracing over its drenched little body, before she turns her head away and starts to pant, tongue lolling. Kita runs a hand over her broad head and ruffles her ears, murmuring soothing nonsense to her as he tries to gently redirect her attention back to her new puppy. She ignores him, shifting in her spot and looking around almost wildly, hot breaths punching in and out.

“Hinata?” Kageyama checks, voice a whisper, as he watches. The warm, tingling sensation that had come over him at watching a puppy being born is disappearing rapidly and dread starts to fill the space instead. The puppy still isn’t moving, lying wet and still, and no matter how much Kita tries to get Lemon to take notice, she simply refuses to pay it any attention.

Hinata is still beside him, poised and watchful, keen eyes flicking between mother and her pup, his muscles tense as he waits for something.

“Hinata?” Kageyama tries again, a little louder.

The puppy still isn’t moving.

Kita shifts in his spot, his earlier relief wiping clear as worry creases his face again. Behind him, Yumie wrings the towels she’s holding, upset marring her features.

 _This isn’t right_ , Kageyama thinks, his heart lodging itself in his throat all over again. This isn’t how it’s supposed to go.

The clock on the wall ticks loudly, the only sound in the room other than Lemon’s harsh panting and the muffled squeals of her puppies as they fight for space at her sides, seeking milk.

The new born puppy _still_ isn’t moving.

But then Hinata is.

There’s a snap of gloves, and then he’s reaching out, quick and deft, and gently easing the puppy into his hands. Within a blink he’s wiped the excess fluid from around its mouth, prised its tiny jaws open and peeked inside, before whipping off the stethoscope from around his neck and plugging in the ear pieces one handed.

Kageyama bites down on his lip so hard it hurts as he watches this tiny puppy rest against the stethoscope’s chest piece.

Hinata says nothing, his brow crumpled in a deep frown as he concentrates.

Nobody moves and nobody speaks.

Lemon pants away.

“Tobio.”

Kageyama jolts violently at the sound of his name.

Hinata rips off the stethoscope as quickly as he’d put it on. “I need a towel,” he demands, voice calm and controlled.

Kageyama grabs, with trembling hands, for one of the towels in the little stack behind him and hands it to Hinata, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Hinata takes it from him without a word, wrapping the puppy up in the folds. And then, bewilderingly and terrifyingly, he holds the little bundle out, towards Kageyama.

“I need you to give this little guy a helping hand while I check Lemon, okay?” Hinata says, soothing but stern.

Kageyama stares back at him, feeling a little numb in sudden panic. How is he supposed to do that?

Warm brown eyes meet his terrified ones, soft and reassuring.

“It’s okay, he has a nice strong heartbeat,” Hinata says, “he just needs a little help to wake up, that’s all.”

Something in Hinata’s voice, his easy calmness and soothing confidence, settles over Kageyama’s nerves like a balm.

“What do I need to do?” Kageyama asks with resolve he doesn’t quite feel.

“Rub him with the towel – nice and strong. Mainly over his back but all over too, okay? Get him nice and dry.” Hinata holds the precious bundle in his hands out a little further.

Hands shaking slightly, Kageyama reaches out, and allows Hinata to set the puppy, cocooned in its towel, in his palms. It weighs almost nothing at all. Cautiously, Kageyama’s fingers find purchase on a swath of towel, and he starts rubbing the material gently over the puppy’s back. The pup shakes with the motion, but doesn’t move.

“Little harder than that,” Hinata instructs by his side, and then he squeezes his shoulder when he complies, increasing the force of his strokes by a tiny amount.

“Kita, I need you to keep Lemon calm and distracted, okay? I think she’s all done but I just want to check…”

Kageyama lets Hinata’s voice and that of the farmers’ fade into the background, until all he can focus on the soft sound of the towel rumpling and the constant ticking of the clock above his head. He wants to stop, wants to grab Hinata’s sleeve, or call for Kita, and pass this impossibly important job off to them. To the people who should be doing it. But he finds himself unable to – compelled by the growing desire to wake up the little life in his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Kita talking to Lemon, maintaining eye contact with her, as Hinata crouches by her rear to examine her again.

He’s sure he’s being watched – he keeps his gaze on the pup in his hands but he can feel eyes on him. Like Hinata is keeping an eye even while busy with something else. It’s something of a relief.

Kageyama has no idea how long he rubs the puppy for, trying to coax it back into the world of the living. Time seems to slow, until the world is reduced to nothing but the sounds of a clock and the feel of terry cloth in his hands.

And then, as he shifts the pup slightly in its bundle, moving it gently to a drier part of the towel, it jerks. Shudders in his palm and lets out the tiniest, most miniscule cough that he’s ever heard.

“Hinata…” Kageyama murmurs, his voice high and thin in his sudden panic. The puppy trembles in his palms, but doesn’t really move, still making that croaky, awful noise. Did he do something wrong? Did he hurt it?

Hinata gives him his full attention immediately, turning around and snapping on a new pair of gloves at the same time. He doesn’t take the puppy from Kageyama, instead he runs his fingers over the puppy’s sides, gazing at it with intense concentration, like he’s waiting for something. Kageyama wants him to do something more – get his stethoscope again or take it into his own, safer hands, or anything at all, but then the puppy _squeaks_.

It jerks again, tiny little belly heaving, and then it _squeaks._ A plaintive, needy little noise, as it stops trembling in favour of wiggling, squirming in Kageyama’s palms as it starts to snuffle.

 _“Oh…”_ Kageyama breathes, awestruck. He feels like his heart has just stopped.

He raises his eyes, desperately hopeful that this is good, and finds Hinata beaming back at him, wide and ecstatic and shining. Kageyama feels his eyes burn slightly along with his throat as an answering grin of his own splits across his face, deliriously happy.

“Look who just woke up,” Hinata coos, reaching out for the squeaking pup. It wiggles in his gentle grip, clearly displeased. “And someone’s hungry!”

Kageyama drops the towel to his lap as happiness and relief surge through him, leaving him feeling almost light headed. Palming at his eyes roughly, he watches as Hinata turns back to Lemon, who is now looking perkier and much less stressed, her ears twitching as she picks up on the cries of her new born. Hinata holds the puppy out to her and she bends her head, running her nose over its tiny body before licking it roughly with large swipes of her tongue.

Beaming, Hinata lowers the pup down and nestles it gently next to its siblings, where it starts to wiggle madly, squealing loudly until it finds a spare nipple to latch onto, and then its cries quieten, muffled against its mother’s belly.

Lemon looks down at her new brood before wagging her tail lazily and flopping her head down onto the blankets surrounding her with a huff, gazing up at Yumie with tired eyes as the old woman bustles to her side, cooing at her softly. Kita huffs out a wet sounding laugh, looping an arm around his grandmother and running his fingers over one of Lemon’s ears, deep relief evident in his face.

“You never get used to that,” Hinata murmurs to Kageyama as he takes a step back to give the family space, stripping off his gloves.

Kageyama shuffles to meet him. “Puppies?”

“Baby animals in general,” Hinata says, and his eyes almost seem to sparkle as he elaborates. “You only really see them when they’re ready for vaccinations, or if a breeder comes in with a litter to be checked. Most mothers give birth at home with no problems, so it’s not common to them this young. But that _noise_ , seeing them so tiny and new… it’s still special, every time.”

Kageyama looks at him. Takes in his smile and twinkling eyes and deep satisfaction that pours from him in waves. It’s times like this when he really sees how much Hinata adores what he does, how much joy he gets from it.

He thinks back to their argument from last night, and feels a sting of regret deep in his chest.

Hinata _does_ overwork. He does push himself too hard. He _is_ tired.

But Kageyama thinks about he handled it, and feels shame and embarrassment curl in his gut, hot and unpleasant.

He needs to make amends when they make it back to the guesthouse.

“We’ll leave you to it,” Hinata says suddenly, and the sound of his voice jolts Kageyama back to the present.

He hadn’t even noticed Hinata moving away from his side – scooting around the room and collecting up the rubbish he’d accumulated and moving it into a little pile by the box of supplies. Suddenly feeling rather useless, Kageyama goes to collect the towels, including the soiled ones, and bundles them into his arms, trying to mask the way his face creases with disgust at the mess on the dirty ones.

“Thank you so much,” Kita is saying, as Kageyama stands up slowly with the towels in his arms, “really, we’re so grateful. How can I repay you? I’ll waive the fee on your stay-“

“Don’t be silly!” Hinata laughs, repeatedly shaking Kita’s grateful hand when it’s offered to him. “I didn’t do that much. I’m happy to help.”

Kageyama bits his lip as a fond smile threatens to break out over his face. Still doing things out of the goodness of his heart.

“Here,” a voice suddenly says by his elbow, and he starts to find Yumie standing next to him, motioning to take the towels from arms.

“Give me those dirty ones,” she says, “I’ll wash them. I certainly don’t expect you to! You’re our guests!”

“Oh…” Kageyama blinks and bends down slightly so she can gather the bundle from him. She takes them deftly, gives him another warm, slightly teary smile, and then shuffles from the room.

A hand settles on his elbow then, the grip familiar.

“Come on, let’s let them relax,” Hinata says, smiling up at him. He looks so bright, it makes Kageyama’s heart flip in his chest. “They probably need to sleep. Also I haven’t eaten yet and I am _starving_.”

Kageyama snorts. “Alright, let’s feed you.” He presses his hand into the small of Hinata’s back, urging him forwards. Hinata shoots him a sardonic look before waving at Lemon over his shoulder, cooing out his congratulations on her new litter.

Kita moves to see them outside, and shakes Hinata’s hand one more time before he leaves for the guesthouse. 

“Hey,” Kageyama says, hovering in the doorway, pausing in his motion to follow Hinata. 

“Hmm?” Kita tilts his head, intrigued.

Kageyama flicks his eyes back over to Hinata, making sure he’s definitely facing the other direction as he walks, before whispering lowly, “do all of those puppies have homes?”

Kita blinks in surprise. “No,” he says slowly, peering at Kageyama closely. “We wait until the litter is a bit older, usually, just in case… anythin’ happens. We never know how many we’re gonna have after all. And sometimes we keep one. Why? You lookin’ for a dog?”

“Maybe,” Kageyama murmurs. He doesn’t really know where the question came from. It had just… popped into his mind.

He’s never felt like he needed another pet. Never felt broody even when he saw puppies in the street or kittens in the veterinary office. But something about seeing Hinata cradle that tiny puppy, how excited and bright he was, had made something in Kageyama yearn.

“Hinata likes dogs,” he says, to Kita’s raised eyebrow.

“Ah,” Kita says, a knowing smile blossoming on his face. “Well… I don’t normally take reservations for a while yet, but… if you’re certain, I can probably make an exception. Think on it properly now though, ya hear?”

“I will,” Kageyama promises, slightly intimidating by the sudden stern edge to Kita’s voice.

He shakes the farmer’s hand once more, and then hurries to catch up with Hinata.

* * *

Steam coils up from two mugs on the counter.

Kageyama stares down at them, unseeing, for a moment, until the gentle press of Carrot's head against his shin jolts him back to the present. Startling, he wraps his fingers around the handles of the mugs before lifting them, glancing down to check he's not going to trip over Carrot, before making his way slowly to the sofa, where Hinata is already seated. His boyfriend looks at him with a smile when he nears, and accepts the mug of tea that's handed to him with a murmured thanks.

Settling down next to him, Kageyama blows the steam off his tea before taking a long, slow sip. He feels... strange. Satisfied. In that bone deep way that he only really feels when he's created a piece of music that he's particularly proud of. He keeps thinking back to Lemon, and her litter, and the final puppy that just barely crawled into life in his hands, and can't stop the smile that wants to tug at his lips. It's a good feeling. He wonders if this is how Hinata feels all the time, or whether the shine wears off at some point.

Letting out a long sigh, Hinata shuffles, until he's sitting on the edge of the cushions, balancing his elbows on his knees as he cradles his tea mug between his palms. Kageyama looks at him out of the corner of his eye. He looks pensive.

Rubbing his thumbs over the ridge of his mug, Hinata looks thoughtful for a little while longer before he tips his head back to look at Kageyama properly and says, "I'm sorry."

Knowing instantly what he means, Kageyama hums, before leaning to the side, until his shoulder knocks against Hinata's. "I'm sorry too."

Hinata’s eyes burn into his and Kageyama has to drop his gaze, looking down and away, as something like shame starts to bubble in his gut. He’s still a little torn. He still thinks, deep down, that he was right, that Hinata does work too hard, in a way that is neither productive nor healthy. But also he regrets the argument, regrets losing his temper that badly. That he didn’t do what Hinata had asked of him and just _listened._

“Alright,” he mumbles into his mug as he takes another fortifying swig. He watches the liquid swirl inside to give himself another minute of procrastination before placing it down on the table in front of them with determination.

Flinging an arm over the back of the sofa, Kageyama leans back against the cushions and does his best to meet that golden eyed stare dead on.

“I’m listening.”

Hinata taps his blunt thumbnails against the ceramic of his mug, before he copies Kageyama, and sets it down on the coffee table. “You know what,” he says, running his palms up and down his thighs. “ _I’m_ listening. I think… you had something important to say and I was just. Not wanting to hear it,” he pauses, fingers plucking at his jeans, before he adds, “but you _were_ pissing me off.”

Kageyama snorts. “Fair,” he acknowledges. Hinata had been pissing him off too. Perhaps they had both handled last night badly.

He stares down at Hinata’s fidgeting hands before grabbing one, holding it snugly in his own. It helps to both ground and distract him, something to focus on that isn’t Hinata’s eyes boring into him.

“I know… you do vet stuff at home because you enjoy it,” he starts to say, wishing his tongue didn’t feel so clumsy, the words hard to summon.

Hinata snickers and squeezes his hand. “’Vet stuff.’”

Kageyama squeezes back. “Shut-up. I mean… I get you think it’s cool and you want to know everything so you can do everything. But sometimes I think it stops being _fun_ and starts being _work_ and you don’t realise when you’re overdoing it.” He stops for a moment, letting the warmth of Hinata’s hand seep into his own, focusing on the feel of his skin against his as he works out what to say next.

“I think…” he says slowly, as the thought occurs to him, “that it’s gotten worse since Ukai retired.”

“… Oh,” Hinata says softly, sounding contemplative. And when Kageyama sneaks a look at his face, his eyes are distant, brow creased in thought, as he seems to consider this.

“When I was in high school,” Kageyama says suddenly, as inspiration hits him, “I got a scholarship for college for music.”

Hinata’s eyes snap back to him, and he smiles, almost proud. “Oh, I bet you did.”

“But I started working too hard,” Kageyama says, and Hinata’s smile dims slightly as he tilts his head, looking intrigued. “I thought to keep it, and to be successful, I had to practice and write music all the time. So I did. I didn’t stop unless I had to.”

Hinata opens his mouth to say something before he catches himself. He looks almost abashed. “And… then what happened?”

“My-“ Kageyama voice catches, and he collects himself just in time, “my grandfather took everything away, until I learned how to balance things. And accept that perfection doesn’t exist.”

Hinata’s eyes spark with curiosity, but he blessedly doesn’t push. Kageyama’s mentioned his grandfather only one time so far – when Hinata had asked him once how he had gotten into music – and although he would like to sit down with him one day and tell him the whole story, that day is still a little way off in the future.

“Perfection doesn’t exist huh?” Hinata says, almost sounding wistful. He runs his thumb over the side of Kageyama’s hand where they’re still clasped together.

“It doesn’t,” Kageyama replies quietly, resolute. “It just leads to burning out.”

And that’s the very last thing he wants. Someone like Hinata, who shines so brightly, who enjoys what he does so much, should never burn so hard the light dies out altogether. These last few weeks, seeing him get steadily dimmer, have been painful in a way that Kageyama has never experienced before.

“And I…” he starts to say, before he breaks off, suddenly embarrassed.

“Yes?” Hinata prompts. His hand is so warm.

“I miss you,” Kageyama mumbles, so lowly and with his lips pursed so tightly that the words are almost unintelligible. He can feel his cheeks starting to burn as he forces the words out. It’s so much easier to talk about Hinata, but admitting something so personal, even if it’s true, even if it’s to his boyfriend, makes him want to squirm out of his skin. He doesn’t want Hinata to think he’s needy.

Hinata sighs, long and slow, and it sounds fond as much as it sounds tired. He rumples his hair with his other hand, his expression complicated. It makes Kageyama’s stomach twist unpleasantly, not quite knowing what he’s thinking, but he doesn’t look mad, exactly, so he forces himself to be patient.

“I miss you too,” Hinata admits suddenly, dropping his hand from his hair and letting fall heavily back into his lap. “Sometimes I just want to curl up with you and Carrot and make you play all those silly songs you think I don’t know about but…”

“What songs?” Kageyama asks, squinting. Has Hinata been snooping again? Then he shakes himself, forcing his mind to get back on topic. He can grill Hinata about his nosiness later. “You can still do that, you know. We haven’t gone anywhere.”

“I know!” Hinata says, probably a little louder than he meant to, judging by how he winces afterwards. “… I know. But I just… feel like I’m not doing enough. It’s so _hard_ to say no, and there’s all these things I don’t know about that Ukai just used to be able to _do_ and-“

“But you’re _not Ukai_ ,” Kageyama cuts in, a little too forceful in his urgency. He clears his throat awkwardly and tries again. “You’re not like Ukai _yet_ , and you’re not going to be anytime soon.” He meets Hinata’s eye dead on when his boyfriend starts to look a little offended. “You can’t cram in decades of experience into a few months, Shouyou. No-one is expecting you to be just as good right off the bat. You’re already amazing, or you wouldn’t have been given the responsibility in the first place. And you’re only going to get better but you need to be _patient_.”

Hinata’s mouth works as he looks flustered, like he’s not sure whether to be humbled or pleased. “I know!” he says, again, sounding a little sulkier this time. “But I don’t- I can’t-“ he stops, swipes his tongue over his lips and shudders in a breath. Tries again. “I can’t let anyone down,” he says, voice suddenly very quiet, and almost small.

Kageyama lets out a quiet, sad sigh. Dropping Hinata’s hand, he raises his own until he can cup Hinata’s jaw gently. “Perfection isn’t _real_ , Shouyou,” he says, keeping his voice firm, and hoping he still sounds gentle. Like the way Hinata has spoken to him so many times before. “You’re doing the best you can, and no-one can expect anything more than that. But if you keep working like this you’re going to burn out, and then you _will_ let people down. Do you see what I mean?”

Hinata’s brow knots. “I do,” he admits slowly, a sigh in his voice. He leans his cheek a little further into Kageyama’s palm. “It’s just not always as easy as you make it sound.”

“I’m not expecting you to change all of your habits overnight,” Kageyama points out, trying not to let the reproachful note in Hinata’s voice sting too much. He understands that he’s frustrated. “And I can help distract you when you need it. I’m just saying you need to be more mindful of it.”

Hinata huffs, his breath puffing out against Kageyama’s palm before he sits up a little straighter, letting Kageyama’s hand fall away. “Maybe I should take up puzzles properly.”

“Please don’t ask me to help you solve them,” Kageyama says, deadpan. His brain still aches just from the memory of that last problem Hinata had forced him to look at.

“Shouldn’t that be your punishment for introducing them to me in the first place?”

Kageyama rolls his eyes and side steps the teasing. “It’s not a bad idea you know, keeping up with the puzzles. You prefer it when your mind is busy right?”

He can empathise. Sometimes, not writing music means his mind falls too quiet, too silent without notes there to fill the spaces. It’s a little easier with Hinata around now, but even then, sometimes Kageyama just feels the urge to fall into music, let it fill him up and turn his thoughts into something he can express.

“Yeah…” Hinata bobs his head, his fingers fidgety as he raises his eyes to the ceiling, looking thoughtful again as he mulls this over. “It’s not that I don’t like lazing around with you and Carrot, but… it’s like I have all these thoughts in my head and I’m too jittery to sit still, you know? I need to-“

“Do something,” Kageyama finishes for him. “I get it. Maybe it’s just a case of finding something to keep your brain busy until you can wind down.”

“Maybe…” Hinata agrees, but he looks troubled. The thoughtful crease in his brow deepening.

Kageyama settles his hand on Hinata’s knee, and those nervous fingers pause for a moment. “I can help you with a routine. Or maybe not even a _routine_ , just some steps to follow so that you don’t feel like you’re doing nothing while also not over doing it. Keep at it, and it becomes habit, I promise. It’s not as difficult as it sounds.”

Hinata nods again, but with more certainty this time, as the worry in his eyes slowly fades to be replaced with something resembling determination instead. “Okay… Okay,” he says, seemingly mostly to himself, and he flexes his fingers for a moment before settling one of his palms on top of Kageyama’s, turning his body so that he’s facing him more directly.

“I’m going to try,” he says, meeting Kageyama with fire in his eye. “But if I want to work because I _want_ to and I’m enjoying it then you have to let me. I wasn’t lying before when I said you were being hypocritical. It’s not fair that you get to work on music at home but I’m not allowed to do anything related to veterinary at all. I get that you want me to relax, but I _like_ working. And _you_ like working! It can’t fair for one of us to do it at home and not the other.”

Kageyama feels an ashamed twinge, deep in his chest. Because Hinata is right, and he hasn’t been fair, and the realisation sends his stomach twisting up tight and hot. He’d only been trying to help, just trying to get Hinata to have a damn _break_ , but… writing music in the house the whole time, working on projects while allowing Hinata nothing… he’d overstepped. And it hurts, knowing that he did that, and continued to do it even when Hinata had complained.

“Deal,” he says, finally finding some strength to inject into his voice. “ _But_ ,” he adds, meeting Hinata’s gaze with flames of his own, “you have to _listen_ and let me help you relax when I can see you’re doing too much. I won’t stop you anymore, but you have to listen.”

He finds himself holding his breath as he waits for Hinata’s response, muscles tensing in automatic preparation for the pushback.

He’s pleasantly surprised when he all he gets is a rueful smile.

“Deal,” Hinata says. “And if we’re both having a day off or when we’re on holiday again in the future _neither_ of us work. None of this ‘I’m going to do stuff, but you have to relax’ ever again, okay?”

Kageyama fidgets on the sofa, suitably chastened, inclining his head in shamefaced agreement. But Hinata is still smiling, soft and kind, and he rather feels like he’s back in a consultation room in the veterinary office once more, hearing how he needs to change Carrot’s diet all over again. Scratching his cheek, caught between fondness and feeling unsure, he clings to the part of Hinata’s sentence that had stood out the most.

“So you’d go on holiday again then?” he asks hopefully. In the aftermath of last night, he’d been willing to write this week off as mostly a disaster, an experience that Hinata will never want to repeat again. Not every holiday can be saved with a dramatic puppy rescue, after all.

Surprising him again, Hinata laughs. “Of course! I do like spending time with you, you know. But maybe next time we won’t pick something quite this-“

“Boring?” Kageyama supplies.

“Slow paced,” Hinata suggests, his lips still curled in an amused twist. “I think we both need something that isn’t quite this… quaint. We’re not retired yet!”

“True,” Kageyama acknowledges. The village atmosphere is pleasant, and the guest house cosy, but if he didn’t have music to write he probably would’ve been terribly bored – same as Hinata. “But I’m not doing… bungee jumping or anything like that,” he adds suddenly, because that seems like the sort of daredevil thing that Hinata would find entertaining.

Hinata snorts. “Don’t worry, we won’t go cage diving to feed sharks or whatever other horror you’ve conjured up.” Giving Kageyama’s hand a little pat, he stands up suddenly, stretching, before holding his hands out to Kageyama, palms up.

Kageyama blinks up at him, before placing his hands in his and muffling his surprised squawk at the very last minute as Hinata pulls him to his feet with ease.

“I think we can find something with just the right amount of excitement, don’t you?” Hinata asks coyly, stepping up close into Kageyama’s space and looping his arms around his neck. He waggles his eyebrows suggestively, managing to look alluring despite the terrible line.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Kageyama settles his hands on his waist and pulls his warm body in closer. “That was an awful line,” he murmurs against his lips, close enough to kiss but hovering just before contact.

“Oh shut up,” Hinata mumbles, closing the final scrap of distance.

Letting out a contented sigh through his nose, Kageyama slips a hand around to the small of Hinata’s back and pulls him closer still, lets himself kiss him slow and deep. It feels like days since he last did this – just kissed Hinata with no hurry or urgency behind it. Letting himself think of nothing except the feel of him beneath his hands.

“I am sorry,” he breathes out when they part briefly for air, keeping himself pressed close so that he can avoid Hinata’s gaze. He doesn’t want to ruin the moment that is steadily building, but also he needs Hinata to know this.

“I am too,” Hinata whispers back, before sliding his hands into his hair and pulling playfully at the strands. “No more talking now.”

Kageyama hums in eager agreement, and meets Hinata in the middle for another searing kiss.


	6. Dessert

It’s almost painful, returning to work in his studio, writing vapid pop music once again.

Kageyama’s glad to be home – he missed the hustle the bustle of the city, the familiarity of their apartment, the routine that they both needed in their lives. But he had loved writing a different kind of music so much, in the sunshine at a handsome desk overlooking the countryside, with Carrot curled up beside him, that the return to normality stings twice as hard.

He’d sent off his samples to Akane as soon as they had arrived back home, and has been spending every day after in a state of anxious fret.

Akane had acknowledged receipt of the samples, forwarded him a cheque for his work as promised, and then said nothing more. Kageyama isn’t even sure if he’ll hear if she chooses not to hire him. Before, he’s always been selling completed music, not almost auditioning for a job like this. It’s uncharted territory, and the wait is unbearable.

Until, one evening, when they’re both in the kitchen just getting started on the dinner preparations, his phone rings.

“Who?” he mutters, placing the dish he’d been holding back down onto the counter and padding out into the living room, where his phone is rattling across the coffee table – Carrot squinting at it blearily where she had been napping on the sofa.

“Is it…?” Hinata – who had followed him – starts to ask, but he’s cut off when Kageyama shows him his phone screen, his hand shaking slightly.

Hinata’s eyes widen, taking in Akane’s name shining out at him. “Take it then!” he urges, flapping his hands at Kageyama encouragingly.

Kageyama swallows, before heaving in a fortifying breath and swiping his thumb across the screen, pressing his phone to his ear. “Kageyama speaking.”

“Ah, Kageyama!” Akane’s voice sings out from the other end. “Is this a good time?”

“I… yes,” Kageyama coughs, trying not to sound too awkward, or too eager. He flexes his free hand in and out of a fist, trying to dispel the urge to pace.

“Excellent! Okay, so I loved the samples you sent us-“

Kageyama sucks in another breath, sharp and hopeful. He looks over at Hinata, who raises both hands with his fingers crossed in response.

“- and I sent them to the other executive producers as well, so I was waiting to hear their thoughts, but, naturally, they loved them too. I do have some notes for you and I understand this is different from your usual line of work but I really want you on this project. Can we meet to discuss the particulars of the contract? If you’re happy to accept the job, that is.”

“I, uhh… yes! Yes, of course,” Kageyama clears his throat awkwardly, sudden elation jamming the words in his throat.

“Perfect! You know, I also have another project in mind I think you’d be good for… I know you normally work freelance, but have you considered a permanent contract?”

Kageyama blinks, stunned. Not only did he get the project he’d been hoping for, but there’s a promise of more? He might never have to write a pop song he doesn’t care about again? “I’d… certainly be interested,” he manages to say, forcing the words out as his chest squeezes with joy. He can’t remember the last time he got excited over a potential work deal.

“Ahh, wonderful!” Akane sighs, sounding delighted. “Alright, so when would work for your schedule…”

Kageyama whirls, looking around frantically as Akane babbles about dates in his ear, thrown by the sudden requirement to check his diary. Hinata pops up by his elbow, inexplicably holding his diary in his hands, his face hopeful. Apparently he’d been doing a good job of eavesdropping.

Grabbing it, Kageyama flops down onto the sofa, takes the pen that Hinata shoves in his face, and comes to a decision with Akane about when to meet for the final contract details.

By the time he’s ended the call, his hand is shaking. He drops his phone to the cushions, murmuring a distracted apology to Carrot when it lands close to her face.

“You got it right?” Hinata asks, leaning over the back over the sofa to peer down at him.

Kageyama lets out a long, shuddering breath, his body feeling tingly in its wake. “I did,” he says, “and she floated the opportunity of a permanent job.”

“No more pop songs?”

“No more pop songs,” Kageyama confirms, and as he says it he feels a wobbly, silly smile burst across his face.

Hinata beams back at him, and snags his chin for a clumsy, upside-down kiss. “Congratulations!” he sings out, a little too loudly for his close proximity. “I knew they would love you.”

Kageyama can’t reply, emotion robbing him of his words, and he simply offers Hinata a little crooked smile as his boyfriend peels away from the sofa, babbling something about a celebratory dinner. Carrot sits up on the cushion next to him and stretches languidly, before stumbling over to him and rubbing her head across his arm, purring lazily. He likes to think she’s offering her congratulations too.

He’s so caught up in his elation, in his wonderment of what the full scale job will entail, what other projects he might be asked to do, that he’s caught completely off guard when Hinata launches a jacket into his face.

_“Oi!”_

“Put that on, we’re going out to dinner!” Hinata calls back. “I _could_ cook but also I don’t really want to and we don’t have any wine, so! Dinner! I already made reservations.”

Kageyama grumbles, more out of duty than any real annoyance, and lumbers his way off of the couch, giving Carrot an apologetic tickle behind her ears when she’s dislodged from his lap.

* * *

“You know…” Hinata says, as he swirls the last dregs of his wine around in his glass. Their finished plates sit between them, scraped clean. This is one of their favourite restaurants: classy enough that they can’t replicate the dishes at home, but also not so expensive they balk at the menu prices.

“I’ve been thinking, now that you’ve got your new job, and I got that raise…” Hinata continues, draining the last of his wine and placing his glass back down on the table with a soft clink. “We should upgrade from the apartment.”

Kageyama’s own wine glass nearly slips from his fingers. “You… want to buy a house?” he clarifies, hoping he’s understanding this correctly.

Hinata bobs his head, suddenly looking boyishly enthusiastic. “Yeah. Like, the apartment’s great but… wouldn’t you like somewhere that’s just ours? And bigger? With a little yard and more space for your music equipment and for Carrot…”

“Carrot has more than enough space,” Kageyama says ruefully, because it’s true. Their apartment is almost entirely tailored to Carrot’s needs.

Hinata doesn’t reply, just taps his fingertips on the table top and looks at him, bright and hopeful.

Kageyama sighs, staring down at his wine glass. It’s not that he doesn’t want this. He’d love a little house with Hinata, one they own and share, one they can expand. Just the thought of it sends a little giddy thrill up his spine. It’s just that, once again, Hinata is asking the big questions. Moving their relationship forwards. And while Kageyama is happy and wanting all of these steps, he still feels a little… inadequate that he is not the one asking the questions.

He frowns down at the last of his wine, and tries not to pout. He’s going to have to fix this soon. He can’t trail behind Hinata forever.

“I do want that,” he says finally, placing his glass down on the table next to Hinata’s, his mind buzzing with thoughts that extend beyond just a new house. He raises his eyes to meet his partner’s, finds him grinning back at him, wide and excited.

“Yeah?” Hinata says, sounding so much younger all of a sudden, his eyes shiny and round.

Kageyama smiles back in spite of himself. He stretches a foot underneath the table and drags it lightly across the back of Hinata’s calf. “Yeah,” he says softly, feeling rather gooey in his chair in that moment, images of life in a house with Hinata playing out in his mind.

Hinata laughs a little, a noise of joy rather than humour, and he hooks one of his own feet around Kagyama’s ankle before he pats the table again suddenly. “Oh! I thought of something else too!”

“You did?” Kageyama sits up a little straighter, wondering what new life bombshell Hinata wants to drop on him next. Adoption?

“Mmmm. I think I’m going to change my shifts at work.”

Kageyama’s brow furrows, not expecting this. “Change them?”

“You were right. I _was_ trying too hard to be like Ukai. I’m working like I’m a senior practitioner when I’m not and I’ve always preferred surgery over case work. It should be fine, the other vets are great and Ukai’s always on the other end of the phone if we need him, so… I want to try taking on some night shifts. We’ve been looking for people for those anyway.”

“Night work? Have you done that before?”

“Not since I was a student! But night shifts are the best ones for emergencies, and… I do learn much better on the job. There’s only so much reading I can do, you know? Sometimes I just need to _experience_ it. Work a few nights a week, work on my surgery cases… yeah. I think that’s what I want to do. I was trying too hard to do something I couldn’t.”

Kageyama winces. “I didn’t mean to say you _couldn’t_ be Ukai-“

Hinata cuts him off by raising his hands soothingly, his smile not faltering. “I mean I can’t do his job _now_ , like you said! Me and the other vets can share out the case work, and that leaves me free to work on the things that I’m _good_ at. They offered me more cases and I took it without thinking it through, because I thought that’s what I _should_ be doing. But I’m good at other things, I can work the rest out later."

Kageyama relaxes back into his seat, feeling a swoop of relief flood through him. “And you’ll be okay with that? The nights, I mean? Isn’t shift work really hard, or something?”

Hinata bobs his head. “Yeah, but it’s one of the things I was really good at when I was student. I’ve never struggled falling asleep, so adjusting to the different shift times wasn’t all that hard.”

“You’ve got a point: you sure don’t struggle,” Kageyama snorts, kicking Hinata’s ankle lightly.

Hinata kicks him back.

“It won’t be night shifts all the time, so we can still have time together,” Hinata adds, his smile taking on a softer tinge. “And…”

“And?” Kageyama prompts, when Hinata trails off. 

Hinata fidgets. “I’ll still read and stuff. For interest, you know? But if, umm…” he trails off again, starting to look uncomfortable.

“If you’re overdoing it I’ll stop you,” Kageyama promises, getting the gist of what Hinata is trying to say.

Hinata smiles at him gratefully, and he summons a waiter for a refill on their wine.

Later, when they tumble from the taxi back into their apartment, Kageyama finds himself distracted.

He thinks of the last conversation he had with Kita, as he settled payment for their stay on the farm while Hinata got Carrot settled in the car. How the farmer had thanked him again, and promised him in a low voice he would keep the reservation in mind if Kageyama was truly serious. He thinks of how he’d been deep in thought as they drove home, the village of Inarizaki village fading into the distance in his rear view mirror. How he’d thought of how much Hinata loves dogs, and how an opportunity like this is unlikely to come up ever again.

So Kageyama waits until Hinata disappears into the living room with his phone, muttering to himself about wanting to look up house listings, before he slips into his office, pulling the door closed.

He presses his own phone to his ear, the dial tone droning.

He nibbles at his lip and waits anxiously for the call to connect.

He’d been told to think it over. To make sure he was certain.

And with all the pieces falling together as they have been, it seems like the universe is whispering in his ear.

“Kita?” he says, when the line finally picks up on the other end, “about that puppy…”

* * *

Hinata is surprisingly easy to trick.

Perhaps it’s because of all of the other bright moments in their lives right now – Kageyama’s new job, the new house, bought just a month ago. Not to mention Hinata finally starting to find a balance that works for him. But he doesn’t even bat an eyelid when Kageyama says he’s going to be busy for their first anniversary.

“I have meetings for most of the day,” he says one evening, keeping his back to Hinata carefully so that he can’t spot the lie as he fiddles too much with his guitar strings. “So I might be back late. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry,” Hinata says easily, running his fingers through Kageyama’s hair on his way past as he bustles around the house watering their new collection of house plants.

(He’d gone a little overboard in buying them when they moved in, but Kageyama had been too endeared to stop him, even if he does feel like he lives in a greenhouse sometimes.)

“It’s a Thursday anyway and those are always the worst days to take off… no idea why. Will you be home for dinner?”

“Yes,” Kageyama promises, peeking up and looking over the back of the sofa, feeling a little braver now that he doesn’t have to lie as badly.

Hinata hums, balancing on his tiptoes as he tries to water a particularly leafy plant in a hanging basket. Carrot dances by his feet, unaware of the danger of a potentially falling watering can. “I’ll make dinner!” he declares, expertly dodging the feline menace by his feet. “We can go out at the weekend. You can pay.”

Kageyama sighs happily at the thought of what will probably be one of his favourite meals being cooked for him. Then he starts, cottoning on to the last part of that sentence. “Why do I have to pay?” he protests indignantly.

“It’s a fair trade!” Hinata contests, rocking back onto the souls of his feet as he looks around, wondering which of their new plants he hasn’t drowned yet. “I have it on good authority that I’m an excellent cook. Namely yours.”

Kageyama huffs but leaves it be. If he argues anymore he’s liable to give himself away.

And on the morning of the Thursday in question, Kageyama does his best to remain as normal as possible. He wakes up early, with Hinata pressing kisses against the nape of his neck, and Carrot’s feet dancing by their heads as she trots between the pillows. It’s so pleasant, he’s tempted to fall right back to sleep with Hinata’s arms around him, but there’s far too many things to do today.

So he rolls over, and greets Hinata properly with sleepy kisses and wandering touches. They lie in bed for as long as possible, as the room slowly brightens with the rising sun, before Hinata sighs against him and moves to get up. Kageyama lies there for a moment, watching him pad around the room, starting to get ready for the day, feeling warm and lazy with affection.

Then Hinata leaves for the shower and he heaves himself out of bed with a groan, throwing on whatever clothes he can find before traipsing to the kitchen, Carrot trotting after him, hoping to be fed. Hinata is going to be making dinner, so the least he can do is make breakfast.

It’s not much – he can never quite manage all the fancy things Hinata can do with eggs – but it does earn him a happy coo as Hinata arrives from his shower, slightly damp and ready for work.

So far so good. Hinata doesn’t seem to think anything particularly special is happening.

Kageyama waves as Hinata leaves the house, mounting his bike with a jaunty wave of his own before pushing off. Kageyama waits until Hinata’s safely out of sight before grabbing his keys, scrambling around the house for his wallet. He has two errands to run today, and one of them is going to take hours.

“It’s a good thing this new job pays well…” he mutters to himself later, midway through the morning, as he forces the trunk of his car closed. The mound of items inside protest being squished but he grunts, leaning all of his weight down until the latch snaps shut. He could’ve bought all of this crap online, but also Hinata is nosy and there’s no way he’d be able to hide all of it without him finding out.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Kageyama clambers into the driving seat, tries not to think about next month’s credit card bill, and pulls out of the pet store’s parking lot and out onto the main road. Flicking on a pre-prepared playlist, he settles into his seat, and breathes slowly to calm his nerves. The trip to Inarizaki village is long enough as it is, and he doesn’t want to spend the entire journey worrying if all of this is a terrible idea or not.

Kita is already waiting for him by the time he pulls onto the familiar courtyard of the farm, one hand raised in greeting. Lemon sits neatly by his heel, looking much slimmer than when Kageyama last saw her.

“Afternoon!” Kita says when Kageyama gets out of the car. “Nice to see ya again.”

“Likewise.” Kageyama accepts the handshake that’s offered. “Thank you so much again for this.”

“My pleasure.” Kita claps him on the shoulder and gestures for him to follow him into the farmhouse. “Are you excited? He got real big over the last couple of weeks!”

Kageyama presses his lips together to stop the smile that threatens to take over his face. “Yes,” he says, giving Lemon’s head an idle pat as she brushes by, tail wagging madly. “Are you sure you don’t want any money…?”

“Kageyama.” Kita turns and fixes him with a stern look. “For what you and Hinata did for us and Lemon, this is doesn’t feel like enough. I won’t accept a penny.”

Kageyama moves to reply and then stops, rendered silent by the sight he sees.

“Just do me a favour?” Kita asks as he makes his way to the familiar, large basket in the middle of the living room, Lemon sitting proudly in the middle of it as a tumble of fat, yellow bodies roll around her. “Send me a photo of Hinata’s face later.”

* * *

Sneaking an animal into the house sounded fairly simple at first.

But somehow Kageyama had completely forgotten that animals, especially baby ones, like to make a lot of _noise._

 _“Shhh!”_ he whispers at the bundle in his arms as it squirms and whines, eager to toddle off and explore after sitting in the car for hours.

(Kageyama had been quietly impressed with how smooth the journey home had been – not a peep out of his passenger while they slept the whole way. He should’ve known it wasn’t meant to last.)

But, by some stroke of luck, Hinata has opted to put the radio on.

Kageyama kicks the front door closed behind him as softly as he can, and toes off his shoes slowly so as to not lose his balance with the precious cargo in his arms.

The tinny sound of jaunty pop music echoes down the hall, accompanied by Hinata’s atrocious off-key humming. He doesn’t really do this often: bullied into silence by Kageyama’s objectively far more tuneful voice, and the sound makes Kageyama snort. It really is awful. He follows the music down the hall and round the corner, until he’s standing in the doorway of their kitchen, trying not to melt at the sight inside.

Hinata seems to have finished making their dinner: the oven is on but on a low heat, and through the glass door Kageyama can just about see the dishes of food inside being kept warm. There’s more plates and bowls on the countertop, covered up and waiting, all ready and prepared for when Kageyama came home. But Hinata isn’t done – he’s currently standing over a large bowl, stirring the contents inside with a large wooden spoon, bouncing slightly on the spot as he hums along with the song that plays out from the nearby radio.

“Are you making dessert?” Kageyama asks, half in hope and half in genuine shock, and completely forgetting the art of surprise.

Hinata never makes dessert; even getting him to eat store bought sweets is difficult. Kageyama would protest this more often if he didn’t know that Hinata has an insatiable sweet tooth and staying away from sugar is more out of self-preservation than anything else.

“When did you get home?” Hinata yelps, whipping around to face him.

And nearly drops his caramel coated spoon when he sees what’s nestled in Kageyama’s arms.

There’s a long, drawn out pause.

Hinata gestures at Kageyama with his spoon. Caramel drips all over the floor. “What is that?” he squeaks. His eyes are impossibly wide.

Kageyama readjusts the yellow labrador puppy in arms idly. The puppy wiggles happily, tongue lolling as it takes in its new surroundings. “It’s a puppy,” he says simply, and he feels the puppy’s tiny tail wag madly against his stomach. “Don’t you know what puppies are? I thought you were supposed to be a vet.”

“I know it’s a puppy!” Hinata yells back, his voice rather shrill. “Where did you-“

“It’s one of Lemon’s,” Kageyama explains, starting to feel a still tingle of dread drip down his spine. Hinata doesn’t seem quite as excited as he thought he was going to be, and now he’s worrying that he’s hopelessly misjudged this.

Hinata nearly drops his spoon again. “One of Lemon’s?” he repeats, voice much softer.

Kageyama pounces on this change in mood, clinging on with hope as the shock on Hinata’s face slowly transforms into something more like wonder instead. “It’s the one we saved,” he says, feeling happiness and warmth seep into his words. “The one that needed help.”

He’d had trouble believing it himself, when he had stepped into the living room full of baby labradors back at the farm. Kita had scooped up one of the tumbling, chubby bodies on the floor and gently placed it in his arms - the same tiny little life that had fit into the palm of his hand just a few weeks ago. Instead of something small and frail, just barely creeping into the world, it was a thriving, miniature dog, bright and wiggly and so _lively._

Technically, the puppy is a present for Hinata, but Kageyama felt his heart melt right there and then as a little piece of it is captured instantly by gooey brown eyes and soft, floppy yellow ears. It’s a sensation he’s only felt twice before, when Carrot, still just a kitten, had purred for the first time, and when Hinata and winked at him from the other side of an examination table.

(It’s the first time he’s fallen in love with something that’s not orange – so at least he’s branching out, he thinks.)

“It’s the same puppy?” Hinata asks, his hopeful voice jolting Kageyama back into the present.

“Yeah,” Kageyama confirms, feeling a smile starting to pull at the corners of his mouth as Hinata’s eyes take on a wondrous sheen. “I, uh… asked Kita to reserve him shortly after we left the farm.”

This time, Hinata does drop his spoon. “You did _what?_ ” he blurts out, sounding squeaky all over again.

Kageyama restrains the urge to sigh. “Do you want to hold your new puppy or not?” he demands, feeling impatience starting to burst within him as nerves threaten to take over.

“Yes,” Hinata blurts out without even a second’s thought, and he lifts his hands out, making grabby motions with his fingers.

With relief, because he really was starting to wonder whether he’d made a terrible decision, Kageyama gently places the puppy into Hinata’s waiting arms, watching with no small amount of affection as the tiny dog wiggles about in Hinata’s grasp, his tail a whirligig.

“Hello!” Hinata coos as the puppy squirms in his arms, absolutely delighted, swiping his little tongue over Hinata’s chin repeatedly. “Yes, yes, hello, you got so big!” Hinata holds him out at arms’ length and the puppy yips in reply.

Hinata stands there for a moment, as the puppy stops wriggling to yawn mightily, as if overcome with sudden exhaustion from being exposed to so many new things at once. Slowly, he pulls the puppy in close, cradling him against his chest, and his eyes become suspiciously shiny when the puppy rests his head on his shoulder with a tiny little sigh.

Kageyama’s so distracted by how adorable the sight is that he doesn’t notice the tears tumbling down Hinata’s cheeks before it’s too late.

“Oh god,” he mutters, suddenly distraught, “I’ve ruined our anniversary.”

Maybe the puppy was a bad idea? Hinata loves dogs but maybe he never _wanted_ a dog? Maybe Kageyama should’ve just got him a photo of the puppies instead. A memento. Not an _actual dog_. This was stupid. He shouldn’t have been sneaky. Maybe if he calls Kita now he won’t be too mad? What is he supposed to say?

Hinata sniffs mightily then, interrupting Kageyama’s slowly spiralling thoughts. “I can’t believe you got me a dog…” he whimpers.

 _Neither can I_ , Kageyama thinks hysterically. _Why did I do that?_

Rearranging the puppy so that he sits comfortably in the crook of one arm, Hinata suddenly surges forward, crowding up close to Kageyama and looping his free arm around his waist loosely, hugging him as best he can with a small dog between them.

“I love you so much, I can’t believe you got me a dog,” Hinata blubbers, and he leans up on his toes to plant a messy and uncoordinated kiss against Kageyama’s cheek, smearing tears over his skin. “I thought that you weren’t even that fond of dogs, are you sure about this? Wait.” He leans back again, eyes drying up surprisingly quickly as he sobers. “Do we have time? I mean, we’re so used to just having Carrot and puppies need-“

“Hinata.” Kageyama cuts him off before he can really start blabbering, winding his arm around his shoulders. It also serves as a prop to keep him upright – his knees are feeling decidedly shaky with relief now that it seems he hasn’t quite ruined their anniversary. “I can work whenever I want, and we’re closer to the studio now, remember? I have time. And you’re changing your shifts, so. It should work… if you want it to.”

Hinata hums quietly, dropping his gaze down to the now slumbering puppy in his arms. Kageyama watches him closely. If Hinata really doesn’t want to do this, he will call Kita back and apologise, but… he knows what temptation looks like on Hinata’s face, and he can see the gears turning in his head. So he gnaws at his bottom lip and waits, and tries not to look too antsy.

The puppy snuffles as he dozes.

Hinata’s face melts. “Are you _sure?”_ he asks Kageyama again, swivelling his gaze back up to him. “This is a really big commitment and you don’t have to do this just because I want a dog.”

Squeezing Hinata’s shoulder, Kageyama steps back out of their embrace so that he can look into his face properly. It’s a fair point, and one he wants to address now, before any doubts can sprout in Hinata’s head, especially as it seems that he’s finally on board. Reaching for his hand, Kageyama holds his fingers loosely.

“Just over a year ago, I thought all I needed was music and Carrot,” he says, fighting to keep his voice level, “but then you told me she was fat and it all kind of changed after that.”

A choked sort of giggle burbles its way out of Hinata and he smiles broadly at Kageyama, mirth dancing in his eyes. “That was your intervention?”

“Something like that,” Kageyama replies softly. He gives Hinata’s fingers a squeeze. “I called Kita about this after I got the new job, remember?”

Hinata’s widen a little bit as the realisation clicks in his head. “But that was weeks ago!”

“Yep.” Kageyama bobs his head. “So I’ve had plenty of time to think about it. Maybe it was spur of the moment at first, but I still had time. And I do like dogs, I’d just never thought I’d have one in my house.” He sticks his free hand in his hair and rumples it, suddenly feeling a little awkward. “So yes, I’m sure.”

Hinata smile stretches even wider, if that’s possible, his eyes going misty. But before he can start blubbing again, the puppy lets out a muffled sort of squeak, squirming in Hinata’s hold with a little whine.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hinata coos, “did we wake you up?”

“He needs a name,” Kageyama prompts, dropping Hinata’s fingers to plant his hands on his hips instead, raising his eyebrows at Hinata encouragingly.

“You do, don’t you!” Hinata simpers, grasping the puppy securely in his hands and lifting him up into the air. The puppy sneezes at him, tail wagging lazily.

“Hmmm…” Hinata looks around them, seemingly searching for inspiration, before his eyes land on the dessert he’d been making before Kageyama had arrived.

Kageyama squints at the bowl, suddenly suspicious.

“Pudding!” Hinata declares brightly.

Kageyama squints harder. “… Pudding,” he repeats, a little unimpressed.

“Okay, your cat is called Carrot, why are you judging me?” Hinata asks in mock offense. He turns his attention back to his new puppy. “You like Pudding, don’t you?”

Pudding barks, tail picking up speed again.

“See!” Hinata crows. “He likes it. And… look,” he turns suddenly, dumping the newly dubbed Pudding into Kageyama’s arms, who scrambles to hold him properly with a yelp. Scurrying over to the kitchen counter, he grabs for the bowl he was mixing on the side and lifts it to show Kageyama the contents.

“He’s pudding coloured!” he declares cheerfully.

Kageyama tilts his head in unison with Pudding the puppy as he considers pudding the dessert. It _is_ a similar sort of yellow, he supposes.

Before Hinata can huff or start sulking, a curious meow interrupts them, and they both turn to find Carrot hovering in the doorway, her nose twitching and her eyes huge and round.

Hinata exchanges a look with Kageyama. “How… is she with dogs?” he asks, fighting to keep his voice casual.

“It’s usually only people she gets shy around,” Kageyama says slowly, eyeing his beloved cat with some trepidation. He’s really, _really_ hoping she’ll be on board with this. The only thing worse than ruining his anniversary is causing Carrot any kind of stress. “And he’s only a baby, so…”

“Let’s introduce them in the living room,” Hinata suggests, stepping in when Kageyama trails off. “More space.”

Kageyama nods vaguely and follows Hinata out into the hall and then into the living room. Carrot also follows, her tail looped over her back in a curious question mark as she tries to work out what’s going on.

Slowly, Kageyama settles himself down on the floor, in the middle of the room where there’s the most space, and cradles Pudding gently in his lap. Hinata sits across from him, and taps the floor encouragingly, calling Carrot over with soft coos.

At first, when her wide golden eyes finally land on the newcomer in Kageyama’s arms, Carrot’s tail shoots straight up in the air, going bushy and huge in a second. She stands, frozen, until Pudding notices her presence and starts to whine, straining in Kageyama’s arms so that he can get closer to the new, exciting thing he’s just spotted.

And then, very, very slowly, Carrot inches forwards, her feet silent on the floor, creeping along until she’s almost nose to nose with an excitable puppy. For a moment, it’s a stand-off, as they both sniff each other frantically, enthralled by each other’s sheer existence. Until Pudding is the first to move, swiping his tongue suddenly and messily over Carrot’s face.

Kageyama and Hinata hold their breath as they watch.

Carrot shakes her head violently, letting out a displeased little noise, before she gives Pudding a look that’s so disgruntled, it almost looks like she’s glaring at him. Then she raises one paw and bats him primly on the head, firm but gentle, her claws safely sheathed.

Kageyama lifts his eyes to look at Hinata, and at his encouraging nod, he slowly lessens his grip on Pudding, letting the puppy tumble from his lap to the floor.

Pudding sprawls there, tongue lolling happily, a cheerful little blob as he whines at Carrot, tail flopping lazily to and fro. Carrot regards him, looking almost haughty, before she slinks close, and sniffs him again. This time, Pudding doesn’t lick her, instead yawning loud and wide, shaking his head so that his ears flap. Carrot blinks, and then head butts him, rubbing her cheek across his forehead.

Kageyama watches, slightly awed and with a huge amount of relief, as Carrot circles around Pudding, before flopping over to lie against her new friend’s side. She blinks slowly at both Hinata and Kageyama, as if to say _‘what? I’ll guess he’ll do’_ before raising one of her paws and starting to clean her ears.

“Well,” Hinata says happily, clapping his hands together. “That settles that then. Welcome home, Pudding.”

Pudding pats his feet on the floor, unwilling to move with Carrot still sprawled against him, his tongue just poking out of his mouth and tail lightly smacking the floorboards.

Hinata laughs, breathy and high, rumpling Pudding’s baby soft ears, before leaning forwards, over their bundle of pets, to kiss Kageyama deep.

“Thank you,” he murmurs against him, voice low in affection.

Kageyama feels like his heart might just burst from his chest from how full it is. “You’re welcome,” he murmurs back, and slides his fingers into ginger waves so that he can kiss Hinata properly.

* * *

“Pudding,” Kageyama says, in his best stern voice, “sit.”

Pudding whines, padding his two front paws on the floor in his impatience, but he parks his rear on the kitchen floor all the same, staring up at Kageyama with big happy brown eyes. In the past few months he’s almost quadrupled in size – going from small and chubby to sleek and handsome. He’s remarkably calm and mild mannered, for such a young dog, but even his excitement can’t be quelled if he thinks a treat might be on the cards.

Kageyama’s destined to always have greedy pets, it seems.

“Good boy,” Kageyama praises, keeping an index finger aloft so that Pudding stays in place.

Carrot sits on the kitchen counter and watches them, head titled slightly in her confusion.

Kageyama fishes around in his pocket and takes out a small box.

“This isn’t food,” he tells Pudding sternly. “Do _not_ eat it, okay? Shouyou might actually kill me. And he has access to scalpels.”

Pudding’s tongue lolls out as he pants away, oblivious to the threat.

Kageyama looks into his eyes, making sure he’s paying attention, before leaning down and slowly handing out the small velvet box in his hand for Pudding to sniff.

Pudding presses his nose against it immediately, letting out a little whining noise when he realises that it isn’t food. At Kageyama’s urging, he slowly takes the box into his mouth, holding it gently between his teeth. Tail thumping against the floor, he gazes back up at Kageyama, confused but happy with his new gift.

“Okay, so far so good, the dog has _not_ eaten the box…” Kageyama mutters to himself. Raising both hands, he shows his palms to Pudding in a _‘wait there’_ gesture. “Stay…” he tells him, using his stern voice again.

Pudding cocks his head, but obeys, as Kageyama slowly pushes open the kitchen door.

One glance up the stairs to ensure the coast is clear – and that there aren’t any signs of Hinata moving around – and Kageyama loops his fingers around Pudding’s collar. His dog stands up immediately, already excited and straining slightly against his hold.

“Ready?” he murmurs to Pudding. Pudding’s thick tail smacks into his legs as it wags furiously. “Okay, go wake Dad up.”

Pudding strains forwards and Kageyama lets go of his collar, crossing his fingers as Pudding springs free, hurtling down the hall and up the stairs, rapidly disappearing out of sight. Kageyama shares an optimistic look with Carrot before craning an ear. Hopefully, Pudding has gone to the right place instead of getting distracted.

A furious yell echoes down the stairs and Kageyama clenches his fist in triumph.

Giving Carrot a quick thumbs up and a murmured “wish me luck,” Kageyama scurries from the kitchen, heart pounding, as he climbs the stairs and rounds the corner, ending up at the doorway to their bedroom.

Hinata is sitting up in bed, hair a mess and pyjama shirt rumpled, as he manages to give Pudding an impressively sharp glare despite the sleep still in his eyes.

Pudding sits next to him, tail wagging happily and messing up the already mused bedsheets even further. He continues to hold the box in his mouth, waiting for Hinata to give him the attention he’s seeking. When Hinata just presses his palms against his face instead, trying to wake himself up fully after being so rudely awoken, Pudding lets out a muffled whine, displeased, and he sticks his nose against Hinata’s ear.

 _“What?”_ Hinata groans, dropping his hands down to the duvet sprawled across his legs with a _fwump_. He squints at his dog. “What have you got?”

Kageyama presses a fist against his mouth to hide his amused smile. Hinata sounds so suspicious.

Wiggling in place in his excitement, Pudding drops the box into Hinata’s lap before barking happily, looking extremely pleased with himself. He probably thinks that Hinata is going to throw it for him.

Hinata stares down at the box in befuddlement, the sleep in his eyes slowly fading away. Carefully, he plucks it up, uncaring of the saliva that coats the outside of it, and snaps it open.

Kageyama feels his smile fall as nerves well up inside of him again, his heart rate suddenly skyrocketing so quickly he feels rather faint.

The thing is, he’s never been good at asking Hinata any of the important questions in their relationship, no matter how much he’s wanted to. He’s always stumbled, nerves and doubt strangling him before he can muster enough courage, always worried that Hinata’s kindness and acceptance are going to run out eventually and never wanting to chance asking for more.

Moving in together, buying the house… even getting together in the first place – these were all things that Hinata had been the braver one to suggest.

So for this one time, Kageyama wants to be the brave one.

The idea has been stewing in his head for months, sharpening into focus ever since Hinata accepted Pudding into their lives so readily.

After the up and down week that was their first holiday, even though it had strengthened them, he’d been nervous about rocking the boat again too soon. Pudding was risky, a chance Kageyama had taken out of sheer hope that he knew Hinata well enough by now to pull it off. And with that success came that little bit of bravery that he’s been missing for so long.

So he thought, and thought, until finally he made another secret purchase. One he kept hidden in his work studio so that the nosy members of his household (all three of them) didn’t find it. Until an opportunity came up – a seemingly normal day where Hinata would be sleeping for a good portion of it after a night shift, completely unaware.

Kageyama watches, as Hinata stares at the box in his hands with an unreadable expression, before wide brown eyes slowly rise to stare back at him.

“Tobio…”

Kageyama clears his throat and stands a little straighter, awkwardly dropping his fist. “Yes?”

“Did you send Pudding to propose to me?”

Pudding’s ears prick at the sound of his name and he pants happily, looking thrilled with himself.

Kageyama bites at his bottom lip, wandering into the room with a sort of delirious bravery, his chest aching from how hard his heart is pounding. He runs a hand over Pudding’s head when he nears and sits down on the bed beside him, slinging an arm around his squirmy body to show an act of solidarity as well as to keep him calm.

“It’s _romantic_ ,” he tells Hinata solemnly, fighting to keep his face and voice still. He tightens his hold around Pudding, using him to ground himself.

Hinata’s mouth twitches, looking like he very much wants to laugh, but he’s interrupted by a soft _mrrraaaoww_ from the door.

They turn their heads in unison to see Carrot, who’s peeking in and almost looking disgruntled, like she’s upset that she’s being left out.

“Come on Pumpkin,” Hinata calls, patting the bed spread.

Carrot’s tail vibrates where it’s held high in the air and she chirrups, darting in and leaping up onto the bed, butting her head against Hinata’s waiting palm.

“You didn’t involve Carrot in your scheme?” Hinata asks, his voice teasing, as Carrot starts to curl up in his lap, the beginnings of a purr starting to fill the air.

Kageyama eyes the box still in Hinata’s fingers, and swallows roughly. “Well,” he starts to say, reaching out to pluck the box out of Hinata’s grasp, looking down at his cat with fondness, “she brought you to me in the first place, so she did her part already, I think.”

Hinata lets out a choked sort of noise, and when Kageyama glances back up at him, slightly startled, it’s to see a wobbly smile and shiny eyes, as Hinata sniffs mightily and beams at him.

“Okay, that one was romantic,” he allows, voice wobbling slightly with emotion and amusement.

Kageyama tries to smile back, but nerves have seized his muscles and he finds himself feeling too stiff to do so. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he removes the ring slowly – so slowly – from its box and holds it between his thumb and index finger, staring down at it. Hinata hasn’t shoved him from the bed yet, or looked upset, or disappointed, or anything like that, but he still can’t stop the anxiety that freezes him down to the core.

He heaves in a breath, deep and shuddering.

Two words, that’s all. He can do this. People ask these words every day. Sometimes when they don’t even really mean them.

Just this once, he wants to be the one that asks the life changing question.

Raising his eyes slowly, he meets Hinata’s gaze – warm and patient, as always – as best as he is able. His heart pounds wildly in his chest, thundering in his ears and rattling his ribcage, as he fights to breathe evenly, his palms tingling with sweat. He swipes his tongue over his bottom lip, swallows once, and speaks two words, his voice clear despite the tightening of his throat.

“Marry me?”

Hinata emits another choked noise, somewhere between a gasp and a giggle, his eyes going shiny again, like the sun has decided to settle behind his irises. He nods once, then many more times, wet laughter punching out of him in bursts.

Kageyama lets the sound soak into him, the warmth of it chasing away the chill, and feels suddenly impossibly light, like he could float right off the bed if he wanted to.

Belatedly, he holds out the ring, and Hinata laughs again, a little clearer this time, and offers Kageyama his left hand. The ring slides on surprisingly easily, much to Kageyama’s relief. He’d spent hours agonising over sizing at the jewellery store.

Hinata looks down at his ring – a simple silver band. Practical, like himself – just briefly before he simply launches himself at Kageyama, throwing his arms around his shoulders and kissing him so hard their teeth nearly clash. It’s messy and uncoordinated and clumsy and Kageyama nearly topples off of the bed with the force of it, but it’s all Kageyama needs.

He rests his hands against Hinata’s sides, his body still sleep warm, and moves to improve their angle, happiness bursting in his chest like fireworks, when something warm and wet slides against his cheek.

Breaking away from Hinata with a grunt, he whirls his gaze around and glares at the culprit. “Excuse me?”

Pudding barks at him and licks his face again, tail wagging so fast it’s almost a blur.

Carrot, who had been tumbled forcefully from Hinata’s lap when he’d launched himself at Kageyama, chooses that moment to chime in, yowling loudly and pawing at their torsos, demanding attention.

“I should have proposed in private,” Kageyama mutters darkly as their pets vie for their undivided attention.

Hinata grins, scooping Carrot up in one arm and ruffling Pudding’s ears with his free hand. “Nah,” he says joyfully, “this was perfect. I’m really happy they’re here.”

Kageyama feels a smile bloom on his face, sweet and understanding. Hinata never had any pets of his own before they got together. Always worrying he was too busy, that he didn’t have time. And now he has two (and himself, Kageyama supposes.)

He shuffles nearer, winds an arm around his new fiancé’s waist and presses a kiss against his temple, feeling unspeakably proud of himself that he managed to do this one thing for Hinata, above all others.

* * *

Kageyama wakes up because he cannot breathe.

Letting out a dying wheeze, he palms about blindly until his hand meets fur, and he pushes at it feebly.

“Pudding…” he croaks, shoving at the sleeping labrador’s head, _“move.”_

Pudding snorts in his sleep and decidedly does not move, sprawled contently over Kageyama’s front.

It was cute when he first started sleeping on Kageyama’s chest, back when he was small and chubby and weighed less than Carrot. But now Pudding is large and heavy and weighs about the same as _ten_ Carrots and even though Kageyama loves their dog, his lungs don’t love being crushed underneath him.

Kageyama groans and smacks his hand around by his side until he finds who he’s looking for.

“Shouyou… _Shouyou_ ,” he grunts, earning a sleepy mumble in response, “take your dog.”

Hinata mumbles some more, shifting under the duvet, out of sight in the still dim light of the early morning. “Can’t.”

Kageyama cracks his eyes open and squints blearily at the useless lump beside him. “He’s _your_ dog,” he points out, slightly breathless as Pudding continues to asphyxiate him.

“I have _your_ cat,” Hinata says, voice slow and sleepy, and Kageyama blinks down at the small mass of orange bundled up in Hinata’s arms, sound asleep. Once again, Carrot proves herself a traitor. Why couldn’t she curl up with him instead? Then Hinata could take his overly large, dopey dog.

“ _I can’t breathe_ ,” Kageyama growls, or tries to. It comes out more like a wheezing squeak.

Hinata mutters something that sounds like _‘don’t be dramatic’_ and Kageyama scowls, feeling his face turning red from increasing annoyance and lack of oxygen.

Summoning all of his remaining strength, Kageyama shoves at Pudding’s side, feeling his dog jolt as he wakes up a bit, and pushes at him until he starts to roll – far too slowly – into the gap between himself and Hinata.

Hinata seems to stir a little more at the movement, grabbing around blindly until his fingers find purchase on Pudding’s collar, tugging gently and helping to encourage Pudding to roll.

Pudding finally does so: an ungainly, heavy manoeuvre as he all but flops into the space between them with a sleepy snort. He squirms slightly, getting himself comfortable, before letting out a deep sigh and falling straight back to sleep.

Kageyama sighs in relief as his lungs are finally allowed to expand properly.

Turning his head on his pillow, he peers through the low lighting over at Hinata, only to find that he too has fallen straight back to sleep.

Rolling his eyes, Kageyama shifts onto his side, all but spooning Pudding so he can reach over and drag his fingertips gently over Hinata’s arm and Carrot’s fur.

A glint of metal shines from his ring finger.

It’s strange to think about sometimes. How, only a couple of years ago, he used to wake up every morning completely alone.

Then a tiny orange kitten arrived, who grew into a sweet – and large – companion. Who brought him a partner for life, someone who he in turn gave a companion.

It’s been many nights since Kageyama woke up alone. His bed, once too empty, is now filled with gentle purring and heavy labradors and, above all, a husband.

Kageyama stretches out his fingers, his wedding ring catching the early morning light again, until his palm can just about cover a part of each of his family members, and lets his eyes fall shut again, following them into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me on twitter! @Emlee_J


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